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CNN International: Trump Deportation Hearing; Judge Scolds DOJ Over Deportation Orders; Trump And Putting Set To Speak Tuesday; Trump Tariff Impacts On Global Growth; Democratic Party Approval Rating at An All-Time Low; Tesla Protests Across U.S.; Two Astronauts Returning To Earth. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired March 17, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Just ahead this hour, a court hearing underway over whether the Trump administration defied a judge's order with deportation flights this weekend. The White House says it acted lawfully. Donald Trump says he'll speak tomorrow with Vladimir Putin about a ceasefire in Ukraine. And two astronauts stuck for months in the International Space Station are due to begin their journey home in a few hours' time.

We start with a fierce legal showdown between the Trump administration and a federal judge in Washington. The Justice Department is arguing the judge's oral order barring Saturday's deportation flights is not enforceable. This as it faces accusations of violating a court order after carrying out deportations of some migrants accused of being affiliated with the Venezuelan gang. A hearing on that issue is underway right now, despite a request for a delay by the Justice Department.

During that hearing, the judge said, quote, "These weren't statements, this was an order." The White House says it relies upon an 18th century wartime law, the Alien Enemies Act. Well, CNN Politics Senior Reporter Stephen Collinson is following the story and joins us now. Good to see you, Stephen.

So, Trump used this Aliens Enemy Act to speed up deportations over the weekend of the Trump White House saying they deported some 250 people that they claim to be alleged members of gangs. The question is whether it was in defiance of a court order. What's the issue here?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Right. There are two real questions here. First of all is whether the administration defied a verbal order by the judge to turn around any flights to El Salvador that had already taken off from the United States and to stop other flights taking off. That's one thing. And then, this hearing that's just concluded in Washington, D.C., a very tense hearing, the judge accused the administration, effectively, of ignoring what he had to say, which is, a huge constitutional issue, and it is something that a lot of people have been concerned about, that the Trump administration, in a variety of cases, was moving towards, not listening to what the courts say.

The second issue is the use of this act itself, the 18th Century Alien Enemies Act. It's only been invoked about three times before in U.S. history, notably with the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. And that act says that in a time of war, a president has the power to detain or deport foreign nationals of a nation with which the United States is at war, or which it has been invaded by.

The reason it's controversial is because the United States isn't at war with Venezuela, where these gang members have come from. Although, the administration is claiming that the United States is subject to an invasion by undocumented migrants. So, these are rather tenuous grounds. And I think this is going to cause a legal kerfuffle that's going to go all the way up to the Supreme Court.

KINKADE: So, these migrants were allegedly part of, you know, a gang. Is it possible that the judge could order the Justice Department to have these immigrants flown back to the U.S.?

COLLINSON: In theory, it doesn't seem very practical because now they're under the jurisdiction of a foreign government. And this is something that's going to take months to litigate. This is going to go -- the administration has already appealed the order to stop the flights, and presumably any more flights. It will go out for the appeals process and to the Supreme Court.

It's possible, at that point, the remedy could be to bring these people back, but practicality, it doesn't seem very likely. And this is a trend we're seeing develop in the Trump administration, it's acting so expansively and so quickly that by the time the courts try to constrain the power of the president, the effects have already taken place on the ground and they're irreversible.

[18:05:00]

KINKADE: All right. Stephen Collinson, we will see how this plays out. Interesting story. Thanks so much for joining us.

Well, the prison that will house the U.S. deportees is one of the most secure and notorious detention facilities in the world. The Center for Terrorism Confinement was built to house El Salvador's gang members. It is now taking on a higher global profile after this weekend's deportation flights. CNN's David Culver and his team got an exclusive look at that prison last year, and they found out firsthand that life inside the facility won't be an easy adjustment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Under a veil of darkness, they arrive shackled and seemingly shell-shocked, bound for a prison where the past is erased and the future is a door that never opens.

More than 250 alleged criminals, deported from the U.S., arriving in El Salvador over the weekend. Most are from Venezuela, accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a violent transnational gang. Their destination, El Salvador's terrorism confinement center, known as CECOT, a supermax prison built by President Nayib Bukele to house his country's most dangerous criminals. One by one, hundreds of guards process these new arrivals, who are stripped of choice. and identity. It will cost the U.S. about $6 million to keep them here for at least the first year.

These images released by El Salvador's government and proudly shared online by President Bukele highlight his controversial yet seemingly effective gang crackdown while also positioning him firmly in President Trump's good graces, helping to fulfill Trump's mass deportation promises. President Trump thanking Bukele for his understanding of this horrible situation, adding, we will not forget.

CECOT was built to contain, to isolate.

CULVER: All right. I'm going to go in here.

CULVER (voice-over): And late last year, we stepped inside to see it for ourselves. These men described as the worst of the worst, tattooed with reminders of El Salvador's dark past. It's tense and uncomfortable. But here, officials say comfort isn't meant to exist.

CULVER: There's no mattresses, there's no sheets. You've got a toilet over here for them to go to the bathroom. You've got this basin here that they use to bathe themselves. And then you can see there, there's a barrel of water that they can drink from. And he says there's always somebody standing here in front of the cells. And then, if you look up, there's another corridor with more security personnel. 24/7 light.

CULVER (voice-over): The prison sits like an isolated fortress, nestled in mountainous terrain, about an hour and a half drive from the capital.

CULVER: It's been equated to seven football stadiums. It's almost multiple prisons within the prison. The far end, you have one that's nine meters high of concrete. And then above that, three meters of electrified fencing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About 15,000 volts.

CULVER: 15,000 volts.

CULVER (voice-over): More than 1,000 security personnel, guards, police and military are stationed on site. Inmates are assigned to one of eight sectors. Each sector holds more than two dozen large cells.

CULVER: Roughly 80 inmates per cell, but it can fluctuate. What is it like to live here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's probably not a hotel five star, but they give you the three times of food. They give you some programs. You go to do exercise. Some church or religion programs too.

CULVER: But that's limited to just 30 minutes a day. The other 23 and a half hours, they're kept inside and locked up. CULVER (voice-over): For inmates who get violent with other prisoners or guards --

CULVER: We're going to close the door. I just want to get a sense of -- wow.

CULVER (voice-over): Solitary confinement awaits.

CULVER: The only light you get is through this hole. They can be in here for 15 days potentially. All right. I'm ready to get out.

CULVER (voice-over): Critics point specifically to the prison's strict control and isolation of inmates, calling it a violation of human rights.

CULVER: The director brought up that a lot of folks will raise concerns from a human rights perspective and an abuse of human rights that he's calm hearing that because he sees it day to day the process they go through to maintain, as he sees it, proper punishment.

CULVER (voice-over): And now, that proper punishment isn't just for alleged Salvadoran criminals, it's also for those the U.S. decides to send away. An outsourcing of confinement into Bukele's prized prison. Merciless for those inside, but to many beyond these walls, CECOT stands as a symbol of El Salvador's restored security.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[18:10:00]

KINKADE: Our Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid is following the hearing and joins us now from D.C. Good to have you with us, Paula. So, how is the Justice Department trying to defend these deportation flights?

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: So, they make two arguments. One is they say that they did not need to comply with the judge's oral order, which is the one that came first. And even when he did a written order, they say, look, we don't need to necessarily comply with your order to cease these deportations and turn planes around because some of these planes were already outside U.S. airspace.

Now, in a dramatic hearing that wrapped up a short time ago, the judge was not having those arguments saying it was clear his powers do not lapse at the continent's edge. So, if he had ordered orally that these planes be turned around, he said that is something that is enforceable.

Now, after listening to the Justice Department, the judge summed up how he viewed its arguments as, we don't care. We'll do what we want. Now, the government disagreed with that assessment, but they're going to have a little homework to do because at the outset, the judge said, today's hearing was all about gathering information, but that proved challenging for the Justice Department because it refused to answer a series of factual questions about these flights, how many flights, how many people were on them, what time did they leave U.S. airspace. So, he left the Justice Department with a series of questions that they will now need to answer by noon tomorrow.

And because of this controversy over oral orders or written orders, the judge was a little cheeky. He said he would put it all in writing for them.

KINKADE: All right. So, noon tomorrow, this is set to resume. What are the expectations for how this could play out? Is it going to take weeks, months, and what will happen to the migrants that have already been -- that have already left the U.S.?

REID: Well, they've already left the U.S. and reached their destination. I think it's game over for them. There are still five plaintiffs who the judge ordered to remain here in the country. They are still here, even though those other flights went on and deported other people. Unclear how many, but I think the larger question of whether the president can use this sort of antiquated obscure law to carry out these kinds of deportations, this is something that is likely ripe for the Supreme Court.

That's a long game the administration is playing. They're hoping to get it before that conservative supermajority because they believe those justices will see things as President Trump and his lawyers do. Now, it can take a while, though, for issues to get to the Supreme Court. And based on what we've seen with other cases, it does not appear that those justices are in any hurry to take up one of these, you know, escalated questions about Trump's use of executive power.

KINKADE: Wow. All right. Paula Reid, we will chat tomorrow no doubt. Thanks so much. Well, U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to call Russian President Vladimir Putin within a matter of hours. The White House announced last week that Ukraine had accepted a proposed 30-day ceasefire. The Russian president says that Moscow agrees with the proposal in theory, but it's also demanding big concessions from Kyiv. Our Frederik Pleitgen reports from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Excitement on Russian state TV, the leading talk show previewing President Trump's latest diplomatic advances towards Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The pace of negotiations between Moscow and Washington has accelerated, the anchor says. Tomorrow there will be a phone conversation between Putin and Trump. The U.S. president announced a new call to the Kremlin.

As the unrelenting battles continue on the ground, the White House claims it's making progress towards a possible ceasefire. With the Ukrainians already on board, President Trump now trying to convince Putin to sign off as well, even as the Russian leader says many issues still need to be sorted out.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We'll be talking about land, we'll be talking about power plants. That's a -- you know, that's a big question. But I think we have a lot of it already discussed. Very much, by both sides. Ukraine and Russia. We're already talking about that. Dividing up certain assets.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Dividing up assets between Ukraine and Russia, while Moscow's forces are seemingly on the brink of ousting Ukrainian troops from their shrinking foothold in Russia's Kursk region, soldiers collecting war trophies after hard fought battles.

The Russians say they're also pressing on various other frontlines, and they don't want to give any of that territory back to Kyiv. Moscow also giving a big nyet to the idea of putting European NATO troops on the ground in Ukraine as peacekeepers. The Kremlin lashing out at the notion.

DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESMAN (through translator): We are talking about the fact that viable regulation is only possible by taking into account and solving the root causes of the problems associated with Ukraine, and they are going to create additional root causes.

[18:15:00]

PLEITGEN (voice-over): But on Moscow's streets optimism that an end to the war may be in sight brokered by the U.S. president.

PLEITGEN: Do you think that progress is possible in this phone call, to end the war in Ukraine?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think progress will be definitely.

PLEITGEN: Definitely? Why do you think so? You're very optimistic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

PLEITGEN: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I love my life. I love my country and I think, oh, this will be good for our country.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): But the Kremlin has cautions. Diplomacy is still in its early stages and many hurdles will have to be overcome to silence the guns on the battlefield.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, joining us now is Ukraine's former deputy defense minister, Alina Frolova. Good to have you with us.

ALINA FROLOVA, FORMER UKRAINIAN DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER: Good evening. Oh, good morning.

KINKADE: So, Minister, the U.S. president will hold a call with Vladimir Putin Tuesday. What are your hopes for that call? What would be an ideal outcome? FROLOVA: Well, I actually don't have any hopes for this whole call as many Ukrainians because we know Vladimir Putin and his manner of doing negotiations, he will try to delay as much as possible. He will try to manipulate. So, I think it would be a first contact and we in the beginning of the long-term negotiations.

KINKADE: We've certainly heard similar skepticism from quite a few European leaders. I just want to play some sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAJA KALLAS, E.U. HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Those conditions that they have presented, it shows that they don't really want peace actually because they are presenting as conditions all their ultimate goals that they want to achieve from the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: So, those Russian conditions showing that Moscow doesn't want peace, those conditions include a Ukraine not joining NATO, no European troops in Ukraine to secure the peace deal Russia being able to keep the four parts of Ukraine that it has annexed since the invasion in 2022, and it wants those areas recognized as part of Russia. It also wants an election in Ukraine. Will Ukraine agree to any of those conditions?

FROLOVA: First of all, Russia didn't occupy those territories, which they are pretend for, those four oblast or regions, which you mentioned, they are not occupied by Russian. The second, we do not allow someone to interfere into our constitution and make the choice and tell Ukraine how to elect someone, including president or parliament.

And I think that there are a lot of, like, those misconceptions and those statements. And I think that Ukraine will not accept most of them. And I think that your administration perfectly knows about that. So, this is obviously not the position for negotiations from Russian side.

Again, coming back to the history from 2016 till 2022, we tried to negotiate. All the agreements were constantly violated.

KINKADE: Minister, you wrote an article earlier this year that was headlined, "Is Ukraine Losing the War?" You said that people who believe that Russia will win is underestimating Ukraine's strength. What are those strengths?

FROLOVA: The strength is that we are more flexible. We can play the more modern warfare. We have more motivated people and we have like a total resilience and we know the history. We know why Russians are coming here. We do not believe that they want some three regions or four regions of Ukraine. They actually want to eliminate Ukraine as a country and Ukrainians as nations -- as a nation. So, we, like, have no other option than to protect ourself. And what -- this is what we're doing. KINKADE: So, it sounds like you're saying Putin can't be trusted in any of the negotiations for a ceasefire. So, what can be done to secure peace?

FROLOVA: I think that, first of all, the role of Europe shall be increased and the Europe is obviously ready to that. The American administration, Trump administration is now a little bit ignoring it, but I think that they cannot move forward without Ukraine and Europe. I think that we cannot speak about limiting Ukrainian military forces, obviously, because Russia is a threat. We cannot speak about some kind of, like, requirements to Ukrainian elections or some kind of interference in the political life. All that can be a part of negotiations, except that we won't exchange our territories for something else.

[18:20:00]

So, it can be like some kind of temporary solutions, but obviously, not the legal acknowledgement of occupation of the territories.

KINKADE: Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Alina Frolova, we appreciate your time. And we wish you all the very best. Thanks so much for joining us.

FROLOVA: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, still ahead of sweeping new report on how Trump tariffs will impact global growth has just been released, and it is not easy reading. We'll have more on Trump's trade wars next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Well, call it the luck of the Irish on Wall Street. All the major U.S. averages finishing solidly in the green on St. Patrick's Day. The Dow, the big winner, up almost 1 percent. And all this despite a weaker than expected read on U.S. retail sales.

Investors bracing for a busy week on the economic front. Federal Reserve policymakers deliver an updated policy statement Wednesday. Chairman Jay Powell will hold a news conference. No change in rates is expected. But the Fed will update its projections for rate cuts later this year and its latest growth projections for the U.S. economy.

Well, the OECD says in a new report that the Trump administration's trade war will hit global growth hard. The organization says U.S. GDP is expected to rise 2.2 percent this year, not far from its previous forecast. But the main targets of Trump's trade policy will fare less well. Canada's economy is now expected to grow less than 1 percent this year. The previous forecast was for 2 percent growth. And Mexico's economy is now expected to shrink more than 1 percent. The previous OECD estimate was for growth of more than one percent.

Well, David Kelly joins me now. He is the chief global strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Good to have you with us.

DAVID KELLY, CHIEF GLOBAL STRATEGIST, J.P. MORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT: Great to be here.

KINKADE: So, this is the first major forecast looking at the impact of Trump's trade war. And it doesn't look good, does it?

KELLY: Well, tariffs tend to, you know, slow the global economy. You know, I think, you know, most economists believe the tariffs both increase prices, but also slow economic activity. I think it's too early to say just who are the losers in this trade war, but generally, you know, everybody loses something.

[18:25:00]

And if anything, I'd be a little bit more pessimistic than the OECD on the U.S. outlook given what we know about economic activity early in early this year.

KINKADE: Yes, it certainly as it stands, said the two hardest hit nations would be Mexico and Canada. December. Just in December, the OECD suggested that the forecast of growth for Mexico would be between 1 and 2 percent. Now, it's expected to fall into recession. And when you look at Canada, it was forecast to grow 2 percent for the next two years. Now, growth could slow to less than 1 percent. I mean, certainly, it doesn't look good for America's closest allies and neighbors.

KELLY: Well, that's right. And that's because both Mexico and Canada depend a lot on exporting to the United States, but the U.S. is not getting off unscathed either. What we've seen -- you know, if you look at the retail sales numbers this morning those are pretty weak. We're seeing a lot of weak survey data, which suggests there's just a lot of uncertainty between the tariffs, the government cutbacks and other policies and just no certainty about what sort of tax cut there may be in 2026.

This is also an economic activity. I mean, I think it's too early to talk about recession in the United States, but we think that economic growth in the first half of the year will be close to zero. I think we may get a negative in GDP for the first quarter and maybe a small positive in the second quarter. We've clearly seen a step down in U.S. GDP growth, even if we're not hurt as much as Canada and Mexico.

KINKADE: But if all these tariffs roll out as expected from next month, is it more likely we might see a recession?

KELLY: That certainly could happen but we have to see what else happens. I mean, it's possible that the administration will pull back, recognizing the damage that these tariffs are doing to the economy. It's also possible that the Congress, in order to offset the effects of these tariffs, puts in more fiscal stimulus. So, maybe we get bigger tax cuts, particularly going into 2026. Not good for the deficit, but it does compensate by adding back economic growth that we're losing because of the trade war.

So, I think it's just too early to say whether the U.S. economy is going to end up in recession because of this. But as I said, the uncertainty about tariffs and tariffs themselves are slowing, not just the global economy, but also the U.S. economy.

KINKADE: And, David, what does the latest data on consumer spending tell you?

KELLY: Well, it does -- it looks pretty weak. I mean, we saw a very strong fourth quarter. So, we have to remember that. But we are seeing signs of pullbacks, both as, you know, basic levels, things like restaurant sales, food sales were very weak in the retail sales report. We also seen a big fall consumer sentiment.

So, we're seeing some pullback by consumers. I wouldn't call it a crisis yet. But consumers are cautious. I mean, they realize that the outlook is a little less certain. So, we're seeing some pullback there. Again, I think we're some distance away from -- this is not a five-alarm fire yet, but consumers have -- are cautious and I've got a right to be cautious given the uncertainty in the economic environment.

KINKADE: And just quickly, what do you think we'll hear from the Fed on Wednesday?

KELLY: So, I think the Fed, like everybody else, is in a wait and see stance here. They have to wait to see what the end game is on tariffs on government cutbacks on fiscal policy for next year. So, right now, I think they're on hold. I think they will increase their estimate of the number of rate cuts this year, maybe to three instead of two. I think they'll raise their forecast of inflation, cut their forecast of growth. So, they're going in the wrong direction here.

But for the moment, they're just on hold because they, like everybody else, wants to wait and see what the end game here is on Washington policy.

KINKADE: Wait and see. They are the words. David Kelly, chief global strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Appreciate your time. Thank you.

KELLY: Anytime.

KINKADE: Well, still to come, anger among Democrats as leaders struggle to find their footing. A new poll showing that party approval ratings are at an all-time low. Can the Democrats bounce back? I'm going to speak to an Illinois congressman after the break.

And taking Tesla to task. Protests outside showrooms around the U.S. against Tesla's CEO and the world's richest man, Elon Musk. We'll have an update on that story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

KINKADE: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Here are more international headlines we are watching today. Canada's new prime minister is in the middle of his first official visit to Europe. Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in London earlier. His first stop was a meeting with King Charles. He then made a trip to Downing Street to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. And before that, Mr. Carney was in Paris meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron pledging that Canada would be a reliable and trustworthy partner.

In Serbia, calls are mounting for an independent investigation into reports security forces used a banned sonic weapon on crowds at a peaceful anti-corruption rally over the weekend. Authorities deny that they used such a weapon, but the footage from the rally shows a sudden piercing sound triggering panic. Afterwards, some complained on social media of a strong headache, nausea, and disorientation.

Lawmakers in Hungary are pushing forward a bill that would ban the Budapest Pride event and allow authorities to use facial recognition software to identify attendees. Anyone turning up would face fines of over $500. The bill, which is almost certain to pass, is the latest step against the LGBTQ community taken by Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

A new CNN poll shows approval of the Democratic Party has hit a record low, even among its own members. The Democrat's favorability is at 29 percent for the overall American public. It's higher among party members, but down almost 20 points compared to four years ago. The party's rank-and-file wants senior leadership to be more aggressive against President Trump.

Well, on Friday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer voted for a Republican funding bill, and that angered many Democratic lawmakers and activists, forcing Schumer to postpone an upcoming book tour.

Well, Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi joins me now live. Appreciate your time, Congressman.

REP. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI (D-IL): Thank you so much, Lynda.

KINKADE: So, there's been a great deal of anger in the U.S. over the way Donald Trump has carried out his policies in the first month of his second term in office. But certainly, amongst Democrats, there is a lot of anger that the Democratic Party is not doing more. What's your response to that?

[18:35:00]

KRISHNAMOORTHI: They're right. We need to do more. And right now, we're about to kind of enter the mother of all battles in terms of this reconciliation bill, which you probably already know about, but your viewers should be aware that basically the Republicans are planning $4.5 trillion in cuts -- tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals in the country and the largest corporations, and they're going to fund it with trillions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid as well as to social safety net programs, to veterans benefits, and then they're going to raise the deficit by -- and debt by $2 trillion. And so, this fight is, very, very high on the minds of my constituents right now.

KINKADE: I want to ask you about this polling. CNN, SSRS poll found that just 29 percent of voters view the Democratic Party favorably. An NBC poll found 27 percent said the same. These are the worst figures for the party since the 1990s. What is the plan for the Democratic Party? Why isn't it doing better?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Well, I think that, right now, we have to do at least four things and make sure that we prevent, for instance, these Medicaid cuts from going into effect. The four things are, one, we have to lift up our voices even louder and stronger than they are right now, both inside Congress, as well as outside Congress, working with various nongovernmental groups and so forth.

Secondly, we have to continue to pursue litigation very aggressively. You know, working with state's attorneys' generals, it makes a difference. It's not only the right thing to do, but it also enables us to rally support in the court of public opinion.

Third, we have to use our votes. And here I voted against the continuing resolution in part because I wanted the Republicans to come and negotiate with us. Now, going forward again, we're going to have another chance where they're going to ask us to raise the debt ceiling to fund or to allow for their budget reconciliation bill. That will be another chance, in my humble opinion, where Democrats will be able to use their votes as leverage.

And then, fourth and last, we have to hold people accountable on the other side. We have to tell them very clearly that their constituents don't want trillions of dollars and cuts to their Medicaid. And so, they shouldn't do it. But if they do, then they'll be held accountable at the polls.

KINKADE: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has postponed his book tour amid all this anger over him siding with the Republican Party to pass their spending bill. Two questions. On a scale of one to 10, 10 being most divided, how divided is the Democratic Party right now? And second question, is it time for Schumer to go?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: No, I think, right now, my constituents think this is kind of insider baseball, honestly. What they're most concerned about is, are we going into a recession? Both, are we going into a recession and why are the price of eggs so high at the supermarket and they can't afford the groceries to put food on their table? That's what they want us to be focused on. They really don't want us to be focused so much on these internecine, these intramural fights. They want us to be kind of focused on their problems and what's troubling them. And that's kind of what I'm hearing more than anything else.

KINKADE: In the last couple of hours, the Trump administration has been defending its decision to deport some 250 migrants with alleged ties to gangs defying a judge's order. Do you think that's an issue that voters are going to care about or do you think that's something that the Democrats won't focus on?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: I think they care about that. I think that -- look, we don't want thugs or criminals who -- or anybody who commits violence who's here illegally to be in this country. However, using the Alien Enemies Act is something that gives people pause. Why? Because the Alien Enemies Act clearly doesn't apply. We're not at war and we are not dealing with a state actor. We're basically designating non-state actors and getting them out of the country. The problem is if the shoe were on the other foot, Lynda, and I think that my Republican and conservative friends would be extremely upset if for some reason, someday a president of the -- of our party, of the Democrat, were to somehow designate some country around the world as a hostile country, let's say, Hungary, for instance, and then, all of a sudden, we take their nationals and we deport them. That would be wrong. It would be crazy under the Alien Enemies Act.

I don't think that's the way to go. If there are other reasons to deport these people, fine, let's do it in an orderly fashion under the law, but you shouldn't use that particular provision because it really sets a very dangerous precedent.

KINKADE: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, we appreciate your time. Thanks so much for joining us.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Thank you, Lynda.

[18:40:00]

KINKADE: Well, Tesla shares fell sharply again today as the EV maker finds itself in the crosshairs of partisan politics in the U.S. shares closed down almost 5 percent and are down nearly 40 percent since the new year.

Protests have been growing outside Tesla showrooms across the country. The demonstration is beginning last month as Elon Musk works with President Trump to slash thousands of government jobs. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At Tesla dealerships from coast to coast, growing signs of discontent.

CROWD: Elon Musk has got to go.

JONES (voice-over): The target, the world's richest man and Tesla CEO, Elon Musk.

ELON MUSK, CEO, TESLA: This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy.

JONES (voice-over): Outraged by Musk's dismantling of the federal government, protesters are taking it out on his business.

CROWD: Elon Musk has got to go.

JONES: What's your sign say?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It says two things. It says, honk if you hate fascists and boycott Tesla swasticars.

JONES: Why should people boycott Tesla?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because Elon Musk is destroying our government. Nobody elected him. TAMMY SILVER, PROTEST CO-ORGANIZER: Elon Musk's wealth is based on the value of Tesla stock. Well, the value of Tesla stock is based on air and dreams.

SHARON DELUGACH, PROTESTING TESLA: So, we're sort of hitting him in the wallet. Getting him where it hurts. Even though, you know, he's richer than God. So, it's hurting his reputation. I really believe it's hurting his reputation worldwide.

JONES (voice-over): Anti-Elon bumper stickers popping up, including these sold on Amazon, marketed specifically to Tesla owners. And since December, Tesla stock has lost nearly half its value.

Donald Trump; Politics; Politicians; They have one, which is $35,000, which is pretty low.

JONES (voice-over): President Trump using the White House as a Tesla showroom in an attempt to reverse that trend. And on Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi issuing a clear warning on Fox Business.

PAM BONDI, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: If you're going to touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, do anything, you better watch out because we're coming after you.

JONES (voice-over): In recent weeks, Teslas were engulfed by a fire in Seattle. A charging station torched in Massachusetts, and a Molotov cocktail was thrown to a dealership in Oregon after shots were fired at cars there. Not the scene at this Southern California protest, part of dozens nationwide.

SILVER: This is a joyous, festive protest and nonviolent, and I urge people, likeminded people, to do this at every Tesla dealership in the country.

JONES: And that organizer, by the way, owns the Tesla herself. She said she doesn't really know what to do with it at this point, but she does have pretty serious buyer's remorse at this point. Although, at this protest we did see another gentleman come in here across the picket line saying that he was repairing his Tesla in order to sell it because he just could not bear the shame of driving it around for, that's how deeply he disagrees with the policies of Elon Musk.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Burbank, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, still to come after the break, finally homeward bound. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be back on Earth in less than 24 hours. We're going to have the latest on their journey home.

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KINKADE: Welcome back. Two American astronauts who had their week-long space mission extended by months are now scheduled to splash down on Earth Tuesday. That's earlier than what was last expected thanks to favorable weather conditions. On Sunday, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams welcome members of the Incoming Crew 10 mission at the International Space Station, the pair have been stuck there since last June because of technical issues with a spacecraft they arrived on.

Terry Virts is a retired NASA astronaut and joins me now live. Good to have you with us.

TERRY VIRTS, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT AND U.S. AIR FORCE COLONEL (RET.): Good to be with you.

KINKADE: So, they were meant to spend eight days on this mission. Instead, it's been almost 10 months. They're set to return to Earth about this time tomorrow. Just talk us through their return journey.

VIRTS: Yes, it's -- it started out as a business trip and they ended up moving there. So, it was quite an adventure. The return journey, they undocked from the space station. So, the hours up to that they'll be making sure they don't leave anything behind because once you leave, you can't go back and pick it up. They'll be drinking fluids. It's important to drink a lot of especially salty fluids like sports drinks before you come back to Earth to help your -- with what's called orthostatic intolerance or basically lightheadedness. If you stand up from the couch too fast and you get lightheaded, that's something that astronauts can get.

They'll undock from the space station. Everything's automated with the SpaceX capsule. And about 16 hours later, they'll come back to Earth. The capsule turns around, fires the rocket engines. It slows down by a few hundred kilometers per hour and then the orbit lowers down. It touches the atmosphere. The air gets very hot and slows it down with a lot of drag. And then about 45 minutes from that deorbit burn where the rocket engine lights up, 45 minutes later, they'll be touching -- or splashing down in the ocean near Florida under a parachute.

KINKADE: And of course, Elon Musk jumped on the opportunity to use his rocket company to bring them home. What are the risks?

VIRTS: Well, you know, every time you come back to Earth, there's a lot of risks. You're going over 17,000 miles an hour, 25,000 kilometers an hour. So, you have to slow down and we don't have enough rocket fuel to do that. So, we use the air to do the slowing down for us. And that air gets really hot. In fact, it doesn't remain gas, it actually turns into plasma. So, it's thousands of degrees. So, there's a risk of the heat, you know, burning up the capsule. If the heat shield doesn't work right. The parachutes have to come out properly. The guidance has to get it to the right place. If it doesn't splash down in the right spot, there won't be a boat there waiting for them.

Then once you're in the water, you want the capsule to be right side and the right -- it's called a stable position. You don't want it to be upside down stable. That's bad. So, there's a lot of things that could go wrong. Luckily, SpaceX has a lot of experience in this. And this is not -- I know Elon Musk is saying a lot of political things that he shouldn't be saying, but this is not anything unusual. This is a normal space station rotational crew mission, which we've been doing for quite a while now.

So, knock on wood. There's always a risk. But hopefully, this -- everything will go well tomorrow night.

KINKADE: And we heard from the astronauts in February, speaking to my colleague, Anderson Cooper, you know, spoke about the fact that they didn't feel stranded or abandoned. But, you know, they had missed some important life events, especially we heard from Butch saying that, you know, his daughter's in college and his other daughter's in high school. And, you know, he felt sorry that he'd missed some key events for those girls. But it just talked to us about what it's like when you come back to earth and you reunited with your families.

VIRTS: Yes. Well, on my last flight, I ended up getting stuck for a month, excuse me. We had a safety issue similar to what they had at this time, and we didn't know how long it was going to be for me. It was only a month, so it wasn't eight months. So, that was not too bad.

[18:50:00]

But, you know, the family at the time I had teenagers. There's things going on. We had summer vacation plans and all those got put on hold. So, it's always the families that pay, you know, the biggest price. The astronauts get to have fun floating around in space and, you know, the families are getting the car inspected and fixing the plumbing and taking the dog to the vet. So, all the normal Earth things keep on going on while we're having fun out in space.

KINKADE: Well, we are. We're looking forward to seeing them touchdown safely tomorrow. Great to get perspective from you. Terry Virts, we appreciate your time. Thank you.

VIRTS: Thanks for having me on.

KINKADE: Pleasure. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

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KINKADE: Welcome back. The Major League Baseball season finally kicks off Tuesday in Japan. And baseball sensation Shohei Ohtani and the World Series champion L.A. Dodgers will face the Chicago Cubs in two regular season games in Tokyo. It's expected to be the first game featuring all Japanese pitching matchup on opening day in the MLB history. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is set to take the mound for the Dodgers against Shota Imanaga of the Cubs.

Well, here in the United States, the excitement is building for the NCAA's men's college basketball tournament known as March Madness. Auburn University has secured the number one overall seed this year, and the first round gets underway on Thursday.

Well, the tournament won't just be played on the courts. It'll be played in the office too. CNN's Andy Scholes has some tips and tricks to help you win in your pool.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN WORLD SPORT: All right. Well, it's time to start filling out those brackets. And it's always fun, you know, trying to find an upset and brag that you picked that. But you want to be successful in your bracket pool. The final four, the most important part. And if you really want to win your pool, picking the champion is the most important.

And there's some stats and trends that will help you do that. One of them, it's called KenPom. It measures the team's offensive and defensive efficiency, and every single champion since 2002 has been in the top 40 in offense and top 22 in defense by the end of the tournament.

So, who qualifies for that right now? Well, you got Duke, Auburn, Houston, Florida, Tennessee, Michigan State, Iowa State, Maryland, Clemson, Louisville, and UCLA. But there's some good teams though not on that screen.

Alabama per se, 32 in defense right now, according to KenPom, they can't win it all. Then look at St. John's, best defense in the entire country, but just 65 on offense. So, according to that stat, they're not going to be winning a national championship.

Now, another trend to take a look at every single one of the past 20 champions has been in the top 12 of the week six AP poll. And there's one team noticeably missing from this poll. The Houston Cougars. They got off to a slow start this season.

[18:55:00]

Now, I like to show this map every year as well. See this red line right down the middle of the country? Well, every champion since 1997 has come from east of that line. So, not good news for your Texas Tech, UCLA or Gonzaga.

So, who does qualify to win it all right now based on these trends and stats we've been showing you? Well, Houston wasn't in that week six AP poll, neither was Michigan State or Clemson, Louisville or UCLA. And they're on the wrong side of that line I just showed you.

So, who should you pick? Well, since 1979, the one seed wins the overwhelming majority of the time. Look at that, 27 times. So, based on everything we just went through, in your bracket, if you want to be successful, you should likely have Duke, Auburn, or Florida winning it all. All that being said, I went to the University of Houston, I'm picking the Cougs to win it all, completely ignoring that week six AP poll. See if they can win it at home in Texas. But the most important thing, get those brackets filled out before the games start on Thursday.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Great tips, thanks Andy. And thanks to your company, I'm Lynda Kinkade in Atlanta. Stay with CNN.

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