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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Trump Pitches Teslas On South Lawn While Markets Fall Again; Interview With Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN); Law Firm Perkins Coie Sues Trump White House; NYT: Musk Poised To Give $100M To Trump Political Operation; Zelenskyy Agrees To 30-Day Ceasefire Proposal; U.S. Resumes Intel Sharing, Military Aid To Ukraine; Measles Outbreak Expands To 258 Cases In Three States; New Video Of Missing American College Student. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired March 11, 2025 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): And we have some new information we actually just got in in the past thirty minutes or so, a law enforcement source telling CNN's John Miller that, that young man believed to have been the last person with Konanki before she disappeared is still not in police custody, is still not considered a suspect and that there were no significant inconsistencies in the story that he told multiple police officers in multiple interviews. Authorities though continuing to search for Konanki in the water.
Officials believe that the only way they can find out what truly happened to her is when they find her --Erin.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: All right, Danny, thank you very much. And thanks to all of you for being with us, AC360 starts now.
[20:00:39]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER: 360": Tonight on 360, as markets stumble again, President Trump comes to the aid of his biggest donor with a Tesla sales pitch. The President is buying, but right now, a lot of people are also selling.
Also breaking news, massive layoffs at the Education Department scheduled to start tonight. As much as 50 percent of its workforce may be eliminated. Senator Amy Klobuchar joins us tonight.
And the pause is lifted, the U.S. says intelligence sharing and military aid resumes as Ukraine agrees to a 30-day ceasefire deal, but will Russia agree as well?
Good evening, thanks for joining us. There's a lot to get to tonight.
For about 36 minutes today, the South Lawn of the White House was transformed into a Tesla showroom. A live advertisement featuring the President and the man he told Congress last week headed the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk.
Now, this was, as the President described it, meant to be a boost to Musk and Tesla, specifically encouraging people to buy those cars. They are having sales issues right now, as you may know, and the President was wanting to help his largest donor. The event took place at the same moment financial markets were plummeting for a second day after weeks of decline, hurting investments and retirement savings.
Many economists point to President Trump's tariff policies and the uncertainty around them. A much deeper route was avoided today, as the White House eventually walked back Trump's early morning threat to double tomorrows steel and aluminum tariffs on just Canada.
Still, 25 percent tariffs are scheduled tomorrow for all nations, and there's a highly anticipated inflation report out tomorrow morning. The President spent little time discussing any of that publicly today. He had Teslas to sell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: So, what is this one, Elon?
ELON MUSK, CEO, TESLA: That's the Model Y.
TRUMP: That's the Model Y, so I have a lot of information including the price.
MUSK: Yes.
TRUMP: I want to make a good deal here. You know, I do notice this. They have one which is $35,000.00 which is pretty low. What is that all about?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Yes, what is all that about? Indeed. A photographer for Getty Images captured the shot of the script the President was reading. You may recall this happened a number of times with President Biden as well.
Above the President's thumb there, you can see the Tesla models to mention, as well as their prices. And below his thumb, you can see the part about how Teslas can be purchased as low as $2.99 a month or $35,000.00. It only got more surreal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUSK: It's like driving a golf cart, basically.
TRUMP: Yes, I know, it's beautiful, very simple.
MUSK: It's very simple. So, it's literally like a golf cart that goes really fast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Now, minutes before he said that, the Dow closed down more than 478 points, or just over one percent. The President did make a few comments about the markets and economy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Do you and your tariff policies right now bear any responsibility for the turmoil were seeing this week?
TRUMP: No, Biden gave us a horrible economy. He gave us horrible inflation. And I think the market was going to go very, very bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, keeping them honest, the S&P 500 was up over 23 percent in 2024. And as for his statement that the market was going to go very, very bad, that's not what he said about how the markets would be if he was elected. And it's not even how he spoke about the markets just last month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're on the verge of soaring markets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, Trump said that on February 19th. On that day, the Dow and S&P were up for the year over four percent. Two days later, markets declined after a monthly report showing Americans feared higher prices because of tariffs. Markets have continued to fall ever since.
Today, he also took a third swing at a question that sent markets tumbling yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Do you think there will be a recession?
TRUMP: I don't see it at all. I think this country is going to boom. But as I said, I can do it the easy way or the hard way. The hard way to do it is exactly what I'm doing but the results are going to be 20 times greater.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: By the way, a lot of stocks may have been down today, but Tesla's ended the day up nearly 3.8 percent.
We begin tonight with CNN's chief White House correspondent, Kaitlan Collins, who also anchors "The Source" at the top of the next hour.
I mean, I guess today was certainly a sign of how much the President supports Elon Musk.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I mean, he was bothered by the fact that his stock was down yesterday. He brushed off the fact that the stock market overall faced steep declines yesterday. Anderson, the steepest of 2025 and since Trump has retaken office.
A lot of that, I think also is in part because, one, Trump is completely serious about his tariffs that he has imposed, obviously, he's imposed more tariffs than just the last few weeks since he's been in office than we have seen before.
And I think, you know, when he had that meeting with the Business Roundtable this afternoon, about a hundred of the top corporation leaders inside the United States, a lot of them had hoped that on the campaign trail, when he talked about tariffs, that it was really just bluster and what we were going to see ultimately with the economy.
[20:05:20]
Obviously, it's not because we've seen he wakes up in the morning, he was upset with what the Premier of Ontario said. He then said he was going to double the steel and aluminum tariffs that are going into effect at midnight tonight on Canada. They're going into effect on all the trading partners. But he was going to double the ones on Canada.
And when he was at this event with Elon Musk he backed off of that after a call between the Premier and Howard Lutnick.
But it also really just speaks to his mindset and his view of the stock market overall, Anderson, and how he is not pulling back from his plans when it comes to tariffs just because of the negative reaction from the stock market.
Now, with Elon Musk and the Teslas here, I mean, this was something that the President wrote late last night on social media that he was going to be doing today. I don't think anyone realized that it was going to be to the degree of which it was in the South Lawn, where he was touting the Teslas, getting inside of the cars, asking about how much they cost, and just going through what they look like.
But that obviously had to do directly with Elon Musk's stock being down because of, in part, his role and the tariffs and what the stock market has looked like overall.
COOPER: Yes, Kaitlan, thanks very much. We'll see you at the top of the next hour. Your guest is Senator Mark Kelly, who Elon Musk called a traitor after he posted a picture of himself on X in a trip he took to Ukraine.
We want to take a quick look right now at what's happened to Tesla, which is what motivated today's Presidential Price is Right. Jason Carroll has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tesla vehicles on fire at this car lot in Seattle over the weekend. The cause still under investigation. A fire erupted at a Tesla charging station in Littleton, Massachusetts, after police say vandals targeted that center last week.
This person caught on camera throwing a Molotov cocktail at a Tesla showroom in Oregon weeks after police near Portland responded to shots fired at the same location. It comes as protests have broken out across the country at Tesla locations from New York to California, all in response to Elon Musk's involvement with DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency and its cut to federal workers. He's also facing criticism over his alignment with far right politics.
Tesla shares have plunged, losing nearly half of their value since Trump took office, and Musk began slashing federal agencies. The richest man in the world has taken a hit to his fortune, losing $29 billion in net worth on Monday alone, though he is still worth over $300 billion.
Some Tesla owners are feeling buyer's remorse.
ANGELA KENZSLOWE, TESLA OWNER: Had I had the option of purchasing a Cybertruck after the inauguration, I just wouldn't.
CARROLL: Others have decided to sell at a loss.
JENNIFER TREBB, FORMER TESLA OWNER: Oh about $18,000.00 to $20,000.00.
CARROLL (on camera): Loss?
TREBB: Yes.
CARROLL (voice over): And those who proudly want to keep driving their Teslas.
KUMAIT JAROJE, TESLA OWNER: I'm going to keep it. I'm going to defend it. So, no, I'm not selling my Tesla. If they don't like my Tesla, just don't drive it.
CARROLL (voice over): Kumait Jaroje uses his Cybertruck to advertise his body sculpting business in Worcester, Massachusetts. He says he has been harassed. His vehicle vandalized, threatening voicemail messages like this left on his phone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Take your (bleep) gold Tesla, the bunch of ya, climb in and drive down to Florida or drive to Tennessee."
JAROJE: I refuse to get terrorized. So to do something they want me to do to force me to do that.
CARROLL (voice over): Tesla owner, Angela Kenzslowe knows what it feels like to be on the receiving end of threatening messages. She says driving a Tesla was fun at first, until Musk got involved in politics.
KENZSLOWE: The thumbs down, flipped off, mean mugged, cut off.
CARROLL (voice over): She wrote an essay about her experiences for "Business Insider." Then she says, things got worse.
KENZSLOWE: I've been sent death wishes. So, folks have sent, you know, I wish that, you know, I hope -- how did they say it? I hope that your Cybertruck catches on fire with the doors locked and you inside. CARROLL (voice over): But the backlash seems to have only strengthened Musk's relationship with the President. Just today, Trump said he would look to have attacks on Tesla dealerships designated as domestic terrorism.
TRUMP: I will do that. I'll do it. I'm going to stop them. We catch anybody doing it because they're harming a great American company. And let me tell you, you do it to Tesla and you do it to any company. We're going to catch you and you're going through hell.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: And Jason Carroll joins us now. I mean, it is kind of crazy that people are attacking people who are driving Teslas. I mean --
CARROLL: Oh, yes.
COOPER: -- just driving a car.
CARROLL: Without question and, you know, some of those that we spoke to today, having said all that, you know, the one thing that all of them had in common, even Kumait Jaroje, who identifies as a Republican, voted for Trump and likes Elon Musk. All of them said that they feel as though Musk has to choose a lane, so to speak.
Either your politics or your business but by doing both, all of them have basically said you're hurting Tesla consumers.
COOPER: Jason Carroll, thanks very much appreciate it.
Joining me now is Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): Hi Anderson.
[20:10:24]
COOPER: Thanks for joining us. Got a lot to talk to you about. What goes through your mind when you see the President doing what he did today? Essentially, pitching Elon Musk's cars on the front lawn of the White House.
KLOBUCHAR: So, the President is now doing promo videos for his buddy's cars. That's what I think. At the same time, you've got chaos up, corruption up, costs up, and the market down. What he should be doing is going in and seeing the effects of these tariffs on our farmers and ranchers, on small businesses, on manufacturing and on regular people.
I mean, it's like over $2,000.00 tax on an average family with these tariffs. And even the threat of them is creating economic havoc, as you see in the stock market.
COOPER: What's the impact on your state?
KLOBUCHAR: Well, we are actually a state that's the fourth biggest state, Minnesota, for agriculture exports. You know, 20 percent of what our farmers make and what our ranchers make, they go to other countries, those are big markets. We like to sell things to other countries. Instead of the ships going one way, we want to sell stuff and it's going to make it really hard to do.
Lumber that's going to affect everyone with housing, because lumber is going up, coffee is going up. You all know eggs is going up. We also have many successful companies that do a lot of trade. And so I've always been a fan of targeted tariffs when they're necessary. But this is not targeted.
He has gone across the board with what he's done with China at 20 percent. I mean that is like soybean markets for so many American farmers or what you see happening right now with even the threats in Canada. And we used to, you know, Minnesota and Canada we're like this. But when people are booing each other's teams at hockey games, you know, he has really caused the divide here that I think is going to be hard to fix for tourism and the like.
So this is bad news and instead of doing promotional videos for his buddy, he should be out there promoting America, helping America recover from these policies, and getting us in a better place. So we actually work on housing and child care and bringing health care costs down. That's what should be happening right now.
COOPER: The Canadian province of Ontario, they're suspending its promise to add a 25 percent surcharge on exports of electricity to some U.S. states, including Minnesota, after Premier Doug Ford had this conversation with the Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. I want to play you something that Peter Navarro, President Trump's senior trade adviser, said to Jake Tapper earlier today about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER NAVARRO, SENIOR COUNSEL FOR TRADE AND MANUFACTURING: Puts in 25 percent surcharge on electricity. People, hear that in America, they might go, oh, my God, you know how many states that affects?
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Three. Minnesota, Michigan and New York.
NAVARRO: Three, for all practical purposes, one, because Michigan and Minnesota, it's a nothing burger. Its only three percent of New York. And New York can replace every kilowatt of that power from Canada at only a slightly higher price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: So is he right? Would it be a nothing burger if in Minnesota --
KLOBUCHAR: Well, at first he thought he was saying that Minnesota and Michigan were nothing burgers, but I think he meant the electricity. It's very hard to assess how much it's going to be in each state. But I think the key is that this was the beginning, right, he's serious. When the Premier and former Prime Minister Trudeau and Trudeau's party and the new prime minister are basically on the same wavelength here when they're so different ideological. Canada is united, Anderson, they're united on this because they are sick of the rhetoric. They're sick of what's going on here and how Trump is acting. So, you're just going to see long-term damage to one of our best allies at one point, and the Canadian embassy was draped in flags that said partner, friend, ally. When no other embassy would do something like that, when people were mad at our country for other reasons, that's what they had up.
So I'm hopeful with all of our allies in Europe, in South Korea and Japan, that we're able to actually open up trade for our markets in the U.S., not close it down.
COOPER: At what point do you think the economic uncertainty itself becomes more of a problem than actual tariffs?
KLOBUCHAR: Well, the economic insecurity is what you are seeing show up at these town hall meetings for Republicans, it's the economic insecurity and inconsistencies that you see show up with what was happening with the stock market. It's what you see when you see these prices escalating everywhere.
So, people have a right. I mean, Larry Summers just said, and I do not want this to be true. I want Trump to stop tormenting the economy like this. But he said just today that 50 percent chance we could be heading to a Trump session, to a recession, that's not what we want.
So, what I'm hoping is that he listens to some people who will cool this whole thing down in terms of what he's doing across the world, and that we can get back to doing some actual work.
And of course, the things he's doing to the -- hurting, ransacking the government to find money to pay for his billionaire buddies' tax cuts, the debt that were going to see added to four trillion dollars. It's an unbelievable curve that were going to see if this House budget goes through, and then you go from there to what he's been doing to these agencies that are needed to do things like approve medical devices, a big part of our economy that are needed to help farmers get loans.
This is all part of the ecosystem that is America. And that's why people are so pissed off in red districts and red states right now.
[20:15:54]
COOPER: Yes, if you can just stay with us, I need to get a quick break in. I want to get your thoughts on the news that's breaking tonight.
Major layoffs at the Department of Education. In all, nearly 50 percent of its workforce may be eliminated.
And Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia agree to a ceasefire. A very different scene than the combative last meeting between President Trump and Zelenskyy. The question now, will Russia agree to a cease fire as well? We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:20:37]
COOPER: There's breaking news tonight. Officials at the Department of Education tell CNN that hundreds of layoffs are scheduled to begin tonight. They also say that, combined with voluntary buyouts and other efforts to trim staff, that the department will be cutting nearly half of its 4,100-person workforce.
Those fired tonight will begin teleworking, and then in ten days, they'll go on paid administrative leave and then layoffs to take effect in 90 days.
Back now with Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota. I mean, Republicans have been talking about eliminating the Department of Education. It seems like everybody, every Republican who runs for President has talked about that now for quite a long time. It seems like they're getting closer this time. Why does the Department of Education matter?
KLOBUCHAR: You know, my mom taught second grade until she was 70 years old. I still have people come up and tell me she was their favorite teacher. So, this is personal for me.
I look at what the Department of Education does. First of all, it is especially helpful when it comes to student loans. And I don't know what they plan on doing and what havoc we will see when that's the lifeblood for so many of our students.
Number two, people in rural areas really depend on the Department of Education for help. And then number three, kids with disabilities. Wait until those parents and those families find out about these cuts.
One of the things I've loved about the Department of Education is that they can take models like, say -- and scale them up, like community college. How can we help high school kids get one and two-year degrees? Because not everyone is going to get a four-year degree, and we need a lot of workers that have those one and two-year degrees. So, they've done incredible work in this area, and now they're just going to get rid of it.
And Anderson, if you're going to make cuts, okay a businessperson comes in. They look at a business. They say okay, I'm going to stop this line of business. I'm going to look at these employees by merit. Instead, these guys come in and they say, well, all probationary employees, so, all the younger employees who are less expensive, we're going to get rid of them. We're going to get rid of the probationary employees or the ones that just got promotions. Oh, that's smart and now we're going to know --
COOPER: I mean, that's the thing about probationary employees is you think, oh, it's just like the interns who just started and it's not, it's also people who have been there for years and years and years and got promoted because they did a good job and they've been promoted to another department. They're automatically let go.
KLOBUCHAR: Exactly, so, my point here is that they are once again using a sledgehammer, and they are not doing this at all in a smart way. But mostly this is going to undermine so much of the work that we are doing in education, which is, of course, the heart of the American dream, the heart of the success for so many people across the country is that we have had the right to education and the ability to move ahead no matter where you live or no matter how much money you have.
COOPER: And just finally on Ukraine, it seems now the U.S. has started again with aid and intelligence sharing, which is critical for Ukraine. Do you think Russia will agree to a ceasefire?
KLOBUCHAR: I don't know, I'm not exactly the Putin whisperer, but what I know is that the Ukrainians want peace, that this is at least a good sign. But what really matters is the long-term, and that the French and the British, their leaders, have come forward and say, we're ready to go. We want to put the concept to paper. We want to actually put in a peacekeeping force and the like. That's going to matter a lot.
And I know you're going to hear later on Kaitlan's show from a true American hero, Mark Kelly, who was just there and he will tell you what he saw.
What I've seen over the last few years, burned out apartment buildings in Irpin, mass graves in Bucha. I mean, Vladimir Putin has invaded a sovereign nation, and he has killed thousands and thousands of people and Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians have been true patriots. They have held the line, they have buried their own, and they have stopped him from marching through the rest of Europe.
So we should be on their side, not the side of Russia. But people want peace. And at least the military and intel has resumed from America. That was just a complete horror show that we would have stopped right in the middle of battle while they're putting their soldiers on the frontline.
COOPER: Senator Klobuchar, I appreciate your time tonight. Thank you.
KLOBUCHAR: Great to be on. Thanks, Anderson.
COOPER: There's breaking news in a story that we brought you last night regarding unprecedented efforts by President Trump to punish major law firms who have represented people that the President doesn't like and, frankly, intimidate other law firms from taking clients who might be suing the administration or targeted by them.
[20:25:10]
Today, one of those firms, Perkins Coie, filed suit against the Trump administration, arguing that the President's bullying his perceived adversaries. Trump signed an executive order last week suspending security clearances for Perkins Coie attorneys, as well as their access to federal buildings. They can't enter them.
The firm called that, "direct and imminent threat to their ability to represent clients." Former federal prosecutor Jeff Toobin is out with an opinion piece in today's "New York Times" on the subject, on the attacks on Perkins Coie and another firm which has drawn the President's ire. Toobin writes, "The President's actions are existential threats to the firms, which is their point. His goal is to make both firms so toxic that their clients will flee, which would represent catastrophic blows."
He went on to say, "The larger message is clear, Mr. Trump is keeping track of anyone who has offended or opposed him, and he will use the power of the presidency to extract maximum consequences."
Jeff Toobin is the author of a new book, "The Pardon: The Politics of Presidential Mercy." He joins me now. I'm really stunned by this. I've never seen, I mean, has any President ever gone after firms in this way?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, AUTHOR AND FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Never, never, never, it is just completely unprecedented, both in the act of trying to remove these firms from, you know, any sort of federal work, but also the reasons are unprecedented, because, you know, the reason for Perkins Coie to be banned is that they represented Hillary Clinton and other Democratic politicians, which they did, and supposedly also because they engaged in DEI hiring and promotion.
That's not illegal. That's not improper. The idea that you can be punished for that is just absurd.
COOPER: Wait, if they had committed a crime and were charged with a crime and found to have been guilty of crimes, that would be one thing. They're a firm representing people that the President doesn't like.
TOOBIN: And there would have to be some sort of due process before they were disqualified from federal business in this way. The lawsuit that was filed today makes the point as far as I'm aware, the Executive Branch has no jurisdiction to do this. They can't just decide that a law firm is off limits. And remember, the Perkins Coie thing is so extraordinary.
The idea that they are banned from entering federal buildings. This is a Washington law firm, according to the complaint today, which was filed by the law firm of Williams & Connolly they have dozens and dozens of clients who have business with in federal buildings. How are they supposed to work in that sort of situation --
COOPER: I want to read a part of the complaint that was filed today on behalf of Perkins Coie: "The order is an affront to the Constitution and in our adversarial system of justice. It's plain purpose is to bully those who advocate points of view that the President perceives as adverse to the views of his administration, whether those views are presented on behalf of paying or pro-bono clients."
I mean, is bullying unconstitutional? Because it does seem to me that this isn't just about going after retribution for representing people he doesn't like or intimidating them from taking clients who may be fired tonight from the Department of Education and may want to sue. But also it's about a lot of these big firms have big corporations that are their clients. And as we've seen, big corporations are very willing to bend a knee and suddenly run away from some law firm if they feel that hiring this law firm to do their work is going to, you know, bring the ire of the President.
TOOBIN: In the complaint filed today, Perkins Coie says they have already lost clients. And this only happened with Perkins Coie a couple of days ago, the executive order punishing Perkins Coie. They said they have already lost clients. And, you know, why would you hire Perkins Coie?
The other law firm that's been penalized is Covington & Burling and their crime, according to the Trump administration, is that they represented Jack Smith, the prosecutor. That also, there's nothing improper about that. Their clients are threatened too. That's the real --
COOPER: Nobody cares about big law firms. But, you know, if you need a lawyer, our system allows you to get a lawyer. Any -- the lawyer of your choosing, if you can afford it and if the work pro bono. This attacks that that very thing.
TOOBIN: One of the things you learn in law school is that, you know, John Adams represented the British soldiers in the Boston Massacre. Your lawyers are supposed to represent clients whose interests conflict with the people in power.
COOPER: Jeff Toobin appreciate it. Thank you.
We have breaking news on the same day that Tesla sales event in the White House. New reporting from "The New York Times" and what the President's political operation may be getting from Elon Musk. Maggie Haberman joins us now with this breaking story. Maggie, what have you learned?
MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST (via phone): So. Anderson, Teddy Schleifer and I reported that Elon Musk has signaled to Trump's advisers that he wants to direct $100 million into Trump controlled political entities. Now, that's different than what he has done in the past.
In the past, he has funded a lot of political support for Donald Trump. You know, I believe more than $300 million in the past through his own PAC called America PAC. This would be something very different. It would be giving it to entities that are controlled by the Trump team and it would be a different kind of approach.
[20:30:27]
Now, all of this is happening. This has been being discussed over the last several days. The backdrop is, you know, obviously that very contentious Cabinet meeting last week. Musk also was at Mar-a-Lago all weekend. He traveled on Air Force One with the president.
And then today, as you say, there was this display of several Tesla cars at a time when not just is Tesla getting violent protests, but its stock is falling. So that is the context in part.
COOPER: So is this -- I mean, how should this be -- how might somebody look at this? Is this Elon Musk worrying about his position vis-a-vis Trump after that contentious meeting, which you and your colleagues reported on and broke that story? And this is a way to influence that or ensure that?
HABERMAN: It absolutely helped solidify his position with Donald Trump. The precise impetus was not clear to us, although the timing does appear to be around last week. Also notable last week, Anderson, America PAC started airing a $1 million ad buy saying, thank you, President Trump.
So Musk has some sense of how to work with this president and what exactly he wants. But in terms of the broader question, there's just never been a situation where you have a part-time employee to the government working inside the White House complex and also making this kind of a donation to a president's political apparatus.
It's unprecedented. It is also the kind of thing that, you know, I suspect that Donald Trump would have gotten very upset about had a Democrat done it.
COOPER: And just to -- you're talking about the political operation. Can you just -- it's confusing for a lot of people what that actually means. How is that different than what he gave before?
HABERMAN: Sure. So what he gave before was through his own outside group, his own group called America PAC, which spent very heavily in 2024 on Donald Trump's behalf, really an overwhelming sum of money.
What he's talking about now is giving money to Trump-controlled -- Trump -- groups controlled by Trump's political advisers. So Trump currently has two groups. One is -- at least two groups. One is called Make America Great Again, Inc. Another is, I think, Securing America's Greatness or something like that.
You know, there could be another group that pops up, but it would be something that was not his own entity. It would be Trump affiliated. And that is the distinction because it's just a more direct impact of the cash.
COOPER: And this is at a time, again, we should point out that Elon Musk is also in business with the U.S. government and relies on U.S. government contracts in a lot of different ways.
HABERMAN: Yes. I mean, listen, there have been a lot of questions about conflicts of interest that Musk could have. Trump has said, you know, there won't be conflicts. If we think there's conflicts, we won't let him go near something.
But Musk is already talking in connection with agencies that have, you know, involvement with companies that he owns. And, you know, the White House has refused to say whether the president gave Musk a conflict of interest waiver. They already won't make his financial disclosure public. You know, they don't have to because he's a special government employee, but they're also not going to. You know, there are a lot of overlapping interests here. And, yes, it's an unusual situation.
COOPER: Yes, unprecedented.
Maggie Haberman, thank you very much. Incredible reporting again from Maggie and her colleagues at The New York Times.
Up next, more on that proposed 30-day ceasefire to end the war in Ukraine. Ukraine's agreed to it. Russia now has to weigh in. We'll talk with Clarissa Ward, who's in Ukraine.
And later, measles cases on the rise in West Texas. What Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is saying about getting vaccinated and what he says are alternative treatments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:39:05]
COOPER: We're now in the breaking news out of Saudi Arabia, where Ukrainian officials there have told their American counterparts that they agreed to a 30-day ceasefire with Russia. In a reversal after weeks of deteriorating relationships between President Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the U.S. said it would immediately resume providing military aid to Ukraine, as well as sharing intelligence. The ceasefire proposal still has to be accepted by the Kremlin.
CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward joins us now from Lviv, Ukraine.
Clarissa, what's the reaction there to this ceasefire proposal? Do Ukrainian officials think that Russia will agree to it or live up to it if they do?
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's really interesting, Anderson, because there is a mood sense here that people are feeling kind of triumphant about how today's meetings in Jeddah went, but not because they are necessarily optimistic that President Putin will jump at the chance to honor and join in this 30-day ceasefire agreement.
Rather, I think the spirit that the Ukrainians went into this meeting with was, we need to show the world that we are not the impediment to peace here, and we desperately need to get this crucial relationship between the U.S. and Ukraine back on track after the disasters of the last couple of weeks.
[20:40:17]
And I think they feel very confident that they pulled that off. They now feel that they're in a position where effectively they're calling President Putin's bluff. They're saying, we're ready to do this. We're being open and transparent, and we have nothing to hide. The question now is, ball is in your court. How do you respond, President Putin? The mood here, I would also say, is, even if Putin says yes, will he really actually stick to this ceasefire agreement? Time and time again, we have seen Russia agree to agreements only then to fall through on them.
So not necessarily a huge amount of optimism that this means we're on the precipice of peace, but definitely a sense that Ukraine is no longer on the back foot, and they're waiting to see how Russia responds.
COOPER: And we're told that the U.S. promptly agreed to reinstate military aid to Ukraine and intelligence sharing. Do we know, is that back to the level before it was cut off and before intelligence sharing was cut off?
WARD: That has already now resumed, and honestly, Anderson, not a minute too soon. Because crucially what's happening in the background right now in Kursk, which is this enclave in Russia, about 200 square miles of territory, 6 miles from the Ukrainian border that Ukrainian troops had taken last summer, which for them was really a key bargaining chip for them to have at the negotiating table.
What we've seen, particularly in the last few days, is Russia applying crushing force with the help of some 12,000 North Korean soldiers and Ukrainian troops in Kursk, really running the risk of losing this logistic stronghold and hub, the town of Sudzha that they hold, which would then mean potentially that they would be forced to give up this territory entirely.
Obviously, that's something they would be reluctant to do, particularly at such a potentially crucial moment in those negotiations. Now, it's not clear how much of an impact exactly the abrupt sort of halt in those military assistance and also intelligence sharing had on the battle that is taking place in Kursk.
But certainly Ukraine will be feeling much happier and much more confident as it continues the fight there and throughout other parts of the country as well, knowing that the relationship with the U.S. is back on track and that that key military assistance and intelligence sharing has begun again.
At the same time, though, they understand that tap can be turned off too. But for now, it's all eyes on President Putin. What will he say? How will he respond? Just a week ago, he said, we're only really interested in the kind of peace that suits us.
At the same time for President Putin, he just clearly doesn't want to jeopardize this relationship that he seems to have with President Trump. So it'll be very interesting to see how this plays out in the coming hours and days, Anderson.
COOPER: Clarissa Ward, thanks so much.
Well, next, the Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s comments around alternative treatments for measles are drawing scrutiny amid a worsening outbreak of the disease. We'll have the latest also on the search for an American college student missing in the Dominican Republic.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:48:04]
COOPER: Another jump in that measles outbreak that began in West Texas, there are now a total of 258 reported cases across three states. Here's HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, on Fox discussing his ideas for treatment.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
ROBERT F. KENNEDY, HHS SECRETARY: So in highly unvaccinated communities like Mennonite, it's something that we recommend. But we also understand, you know, there's a lot of mistrust of the vaccines in that community.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
COOPER: Joining me now is CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. I mean, you've been to West Texas. You've been to the epicenter of this outbreak. What do you make? What can you say?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean, you know, in some ways, it's more conciliatory about vaccines than he's been in the past. He's actually saying that they can prevent infections. But then he kind of still muddies the water, you know, and this --
COOPER: He points out it's a personal choice, which, of course, it is --
GUPTA: It is a personal choice.
COOPER: -- not be forced to.
GUPTA: But he says there's dozens of kids within this community that have been vaccine injured, which would defy all trends that we have seen with regard to MMR vaccines in terms of vaccine injury. It can happen, but it's a pretty rare thing.
When I was there in West Texas a couple weeks ago, there were about 68 cases between Texas and New Mexico. Now it's 258. So they're getting close to actually getting more numbers than all of last year, for example, over there. So we're going to sort of see where this goes.
But I met with the Department of -- State Health Department director. I met with pediatricians on the ground, the person who's running the ER and the ICU in the Children's Hospital and the pop-up clinics. And the message is consistent. The vaccination is really critically important.
Only 80 percent of kindergartners in Gaines County, which you just talked about, got vaccinated.
COOPER: Wow.
GUPTA: 80 percent. You need to get above 95 percent to sort of get that community immunity. And so that means not only would unvaccinated kids be at risk, but even vaccinated kids, because it's 97 percent effective, not 100 percent. And so there's people who are really worried --
COOPER: I want to play more of what he said in that Fox interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
[20:50:04]
KENNEDY: So there's a lot of poverty in that area. The food is kind of a food desert. The best thing that Americans can do is to keep themselves healthy. It's very, very difficult. It's -- for measles to kill a healthy person.
And so nutrition is absolutely critical. And we need to eat good foods. We need to eat whole foods. We need to get plenty of exercise. And we see a correlation between people who get hurt by measles and people who don't have good nutrition or who don't have a good exercise regimen.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
COOPER: I mean, it seems like the most important thing is a measles vaccine. But I mean, are nutrition and exercise the issue here?
GUPTA: They're important, but they're not the issue here. I mean, yes.
COOPER: They're obviously great things.
GUPTA: Yes. I mean, being healthy is obviously important.
COOPER: And eating well is good.
GUPTA: Those are all really important things. But, you know, the Texas Department of Health released a statement about this child who died, for example. I just want to read this to you. "There's been one fatality in a school-age child who lived in the outbreak area. The child was not vaccinated and had no underlying conditions."
But just to put a finer point on it, we talked to the pediatricians in the area, and they specifically say where this outbreak has occurred, our children are actually very well nourished. Whether you have an underlying medical problem or not, measles can be detrimental. It does not discriminate.
I mean, I think this is a really important point, that there are perfectly healthy children who are really at risk.
COOPER: They're saying this is not a food desert, that the kids, they're actually eating healthy.
GUPTA: No. COOPER: I just want to play quickly what else he said.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
KENNEDY: And they're getting very, very good results. They report from a budesonide, which is a steroid, it's a 30-year-old steroid. And clarithromycin and also cod liver oil, which has high concentrations of vitamin A and vitamin D. And they're seeing what they describe as almost miraculous and instantaneous recovery from that.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
COOPER: He's talking about steroids. Does that make sense?
GUPTA: Steroids can actually dampen your immune system. If you have encephalitis or something, it can be helpful. You talked about antibiotics, which are good for bacterial infections, not a virus. Vitamin A can be helpful to treat measles, but certainly not to prevent it.
COOPER: All right. Sanjay Gupta, appreciate it. Thank you.
GUPTA: Yes.
COOPER: Next up, new evidence of the American -- missing American college student in Dominican Republic. There's video. Details next.
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[20:57:08]
COOPER: It's been six days since an American college student disappeared in the Dominican Republic. New surveillance video shows the 20-year-old student walking with a group of friends at around 4:15 a.m. the day she disappeared. The last known person to have seen her is being kept under police watch, though not officially detained. Law enforcement source tells CNN he's not officially a suspect.
Randi Kaye is in Punta Cana with more.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are some of the last known images of Sudiksha Konanki before she disappeared. Around 4:15 a.m. on Thursday, hotel surveillance video captured Konanki and others walking away from the hotel lobby toward the beach. That's Konanki and a young male embracing each other while heading towards a hotel path, according to a source close to the investigation.
Earlier, hotel surveillance cameras caught Konanki drinking with five women and two men in the hotel lobby, according to a source with the Dominican National Police. Now, the National Police of the Dominican Republic are digging deeper for answers.
DIEGO PESQUEIRA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC NATIONAL POLICE SPOKESMAN (through translation): Reinterrogations are being carried out on the individuals involved in this group, as well as on the administrative staff of the hotel that has been providing support. The review of camera footage has also been expanded.
KAYE (voice-over): CNN has also learned the last known person believed to have been with Konanki in Punta Cana is being kept in a hotel room under police watch. That's according to a source close to the investigation. That source says the young man is being questioned but is not officially detained. A law enforcement source told CNN the man is not considered a suspect at this time.
KAYE: 20-year-old Konanki arrived here in the Dominican Republic on March 3, along with five other female students. Before she was reported missing, Konanki was seen drinking and going to the beach, similar to this one. She was staying with friends not far from here at the Rio Republic Hotel.
That hotel has refused to allow media access.
KAYE (voice-over): At around 4:55 a.m., Thursday, surveillance cameras captured five women and one man exiting the beach, a local police source told CNN. Konanki was not among them. Four hours later, around 8:55 a.m., surveillance video shows the young man who was last seen with her leaving the beach alone.
KAYE: A police source told CNN when she didn't come back to her room, Konanki's friends searched for her, then notified authorities. Around 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, the group alerted the hotel she was missing, according to a hotel statement.
KAYE (voice-over): On a lounge chair at the beach, Konanki's sarong- style cover-up was found, and there were no signs of violence, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN.
KAYE: The man who is believed to have seen Konanki at last has been questioned by police, according to the local police source. That source tells CNN the man told them that they both went into the ocean, but he felt sick, got out of the water, and then fell asleep on a lounge chair.
KAYE (voice-over): Dominican police say they are studying the tides and that the search now includes more than 300 men and women. The search encompasses air, land, and sea, and includes K9 search teams, drones, helicopters, and specialized marine equipment.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
KAYE (voice-over): Anderson, Konanki's father is here in the Dominican Republic doing what he can to help find his daughter, and the AP is also reporting that the girl's mother is here as well, along with two family friends. Anderson?
COOPER: Randi Kaye, thanks so much.
That's it for us. The news continues. The Source with Kaitlan Collins starts now.
