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Global Stocks Starting to Rebound; Trump's Tariffs May Cause Scarcity of Cooking Products from the E.U.; U.S. Cancels Visas of South Sudanese Nationals; Florida Bags NCAA Men's Basketball Title. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired April 08, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, standing firm Donald Trump says he's not considering a pause on tariffs despite volatile financial markets and billionaires losing confidence in his plan.

Inside El Salvador's notorious prison. CNN gets its first look inside the detention center since the U.S. started deporting migrants there.

And the Florida Gators defeat the Houston Cougars to secure the NCAA men's basketball title. We will hear from the winning team just ahead.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us.

Well the Trump administration says it's moving full steam ahead with tariffs, ruling out any pause in the punishing policies that have spiraled into a global trade war. That's despite loud warnings about a looming recession from world leaders, business leaders and billionaires, and despite another day of battered stocks and worldwide sell-offs.

Here's a look at the U.S. futures after a mixed day on Wall Street. The Dow up more than 1 percent and the Nasdaq in similar form there along with the S&P 500.

The U.S. Treasury Secretary says the Trump administration needs to do a better job of explaining why they believe all this market turmoil will pay off down the road. Here's how President Trump put it on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It's the only chance our country will have to reset the table because no other president would be willing to do what I'm doing or to even go through it.

Now I don't mind going through it because I see a beautiful picture at the end but we are making tremendous progress with a lot of countries and the countries that really took advantage of us are now saying please negotiate. You know why? Because they're getting beaten badly because of what's happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: More now from CNN's Alayna Treene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: We have some new reporting about some of the behind-the-scenes conversations that are taking place as this tariff turmoil continues to roil global markets. We're learning now that shortly after those tariffs went into effect starting Saturday morning, the President's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent actually flew to Mar-a-Lago to deliver a message to President Donald Trump.

That message was that his team needs to get on the same page, be more unified in how they are explaining these tariffs to the American people but also to more clearly explain what the end game is and essentially that is better trade deals with other countries.

Now I've had multiple conversations today with Trump administration officials, White House officials and they tell me that the President is willing to negotiate. He does want to make deals with other countries.

However, a part of that is really trying to milk these other countries for what they're worth and what they're anticipating and already we've seen this and White House officials are saying you know 70 countries at this point have come to the White House, have been speaking with Trump administration officials about wanting to open a broader talks and how to find an off-ramp to these tariffs.

Now I think one thing that has been clear in my conversations as well is that there is definitely some mixed messaging. On one hand you have people like Peter Navarro, one of the President's trade advisors, saying that these tariffs are not a negotiation and then you have people like Bessent and others who are saying that the President is going to be negotiating.

We heard from the President himself today in the Oval Office saying that he wants to have a negotiation with Japan, that he spoke with the Prime Minister Monday morning and that they are going to continue those talks. He called them high-level talks but all to say behind the scenes as well some officials really do believe that they need to get some sort wins on the board.

They need to show the American public that there's you know it's worth being patient on this. They need to get them to buy into this tariff plan particularly of course as we're seeing the markets continue to be scattered, people's 401ks shrinking, a lot of concerns about what is happening to people's wallets. That is the message from the White House.

All to say though no one that I've spoken with here believes that these tariffs are going or these tariff deals or negotiations could be finished and wrapped up in the near future.

[03:04:58]

They do believe that it's going to take some time for them to work out really what is the President's ultimate goal and I'm told his top priority here is what he believes is erasing the deficits that America has with other countries and that does really mean breaking the way that global trade has been done for 70 or so years and rebuilding it in Donald Trump's image.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Larry Sabato is the Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. He joins us now. Always great to have you with us.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-CENTER FOR POLITICS: Thank you, Rosie.

CHURCH: So let's start with President Trump's tariff turmoil. He seems determined to stick with his sweeping global tariffs although negotiations with some countries could perhaps offer a way out. What's your reading of the confused messaging coming out of the White House right now on that very point?

SABATO: The most common phrase that I've heard over the last four or five days is self-inflicted wound and that's coming from President Trump's supporters. All those billionaires who were convinced that they were going to be treated very well with lavish tax cuts and less regulation. They hadn't planned on this because they really didn't believe what Trump had been saying and of course what he had been saying was a much lower level of tariffs, they didn't think that would happen.

Now the reality is that America has done to itself in the economic field what Trump and company have done to America's reputation in international relations and national defense. Why anyone is ever going to trust America again, why any other country would ever trust America again is really the question because apparently agreements only last for a four-year presidency and that's it and then we start all over again.

CHURCH: So with that in mind what political damage has already been done with Trump's tariffs, even his buddy Senator Ted Cruz suggesting 2026 will be a bloodbath?

SABATO: Yes, notice how so many of the Republicans who've been afraid to utter a peep of opposition to Trump have now been uttering a peep or two or three because they were brought up in a different Republican party. Now they've compromised on international affairs they're willing to go along with Trump's abandonment of internationalism, but when it comes to economics they were raised on a belief in free trade, that was a fundamental pillar of the Republican Party.

And now it's been wiped away, it's been destroyed. It's like as billionaire Bill Ackman, one of the big Trump backers in the campaign has said we're headed for a nuclear winter and the Republicans don't want to be part of that nuclear winter.

CHURCH: And as you mentioned CEOs and billionaires are trying to talk Trump out of keeping these tariffs in place because they too are feeling the pain. How likely is it that he will listen to any of them?

SABATO: Trump listens to people when people are agreeing with him. I've never really seen him pay much attention even to strong allies who come in with the opposite point of view. So there's always a first time and after all they're billionaires and he clearly elevates them above everybody else as proven on inauguration day.

But it will be a surprise if he listens to them at least at this point. If the world continues to melt down and the economy continues to go into the tank maybe he'll reconsider but I sure wouldn't put much money on it.

CHURCH: And what about the optics of Trump dropping these sweeping tariffs on the world then heading to the golf course for a long weekend. How will that play with voters in 2026 and 2028 if this country and the world are thrust into a recession?

SABATO: It's a wonderful visual. You know every President has them. Sometimes they're good visuals, most of the time they're really negative visuals that hurt a President and a presidency in history and this is one of those. Essentially instead of Nero playing while Rome burned you have Donald Trump playing golf while the world melted down into an economic muddle.

CHURCH: Larry Sabato many thanks for joining us. I appreciate it, thank you.

SABATO: Thank you Rosie.

CHURCH: After days of disastrous declines, the main Asia markets have been showing signs of improvement including Tokyo's Nikkei index closing up more than six percent. That follows president Trump's threat to impose additional 50 percent tariffs on China as early as this week and that's not going over well with Beijing.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has our report from Hong Kong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: China is calling Trump's 50 percent tariff threat quote "a mistake on top of a mistake" and is vowing to fight until the very end.

Now on Monday the global trade war escalated when U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at China for striking back threatening to add new 50 percent tariffs on China if Beijing doesn't remove its retaliatory 34 percent tariffs. [03:10:00]

If Trump's latest threat goes into effect Chinese goods in the U.S. would be subject to tariffs of 104 percent but China is holding firm. This morning China's ministry of commerce issued a defiant statement saying this quote "The U.S. threat to escalate tariffs on China is a mistake on top of a mistake which once again exposes the blackmailing nature of the U.S. China will never accept it if the U.S. insists on its own way China will fight to the end."

And the ministry also called for all tariff plans to be dropped as well as dialogue. Now earlier, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in the U.S. responded to the threat saying this quote "We have stressed more than once that pressuring or threatening China is not a right way to engage with us. China will firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests."

As China pushes back, other Asian nations are pursuing trade talks with the U.S. with Japan getting priority. That's according to the U.S. treasury secretary. Now Trump says Japan is sending a team to negotiate on trade after he spoke with the Japanese prime minister on Monday.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Canada's prime minister says the U.S. is driving itself into a recession with its global trade war. The Trump administration has already slapped 25 percent tariffs on some Canadian goods including steel and aluminum and on top of that the U.S. is planning to raise duties on Canadian softwood from more than 14 percent to nearly 35 percent.

Canadian leaders warn that will send U.S. home prices skyrocketing. Prime Minister Mark Carney is trying to reassure Canadians that despite all the U.S. imposed chaos Canada can look after itself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: The situation at the heart of this is uncertainty about U.S. policy or to make it worse is greater certainty that U.S. policy will be self-harming to the American economy and therefore the global economy if the U.S. doesn't walk back from this tariff policy.

We can't control the United States. We can't control President Trump's decision. We can speak and we do and you know influence and form.

We can't control what we do here in this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The E.U. is considering its options as new tariffs loom. The European Commission president says it will explore markets beyond the U.S. for new trade opportunities. The bloc has already made deals with Mexico and Switzerland and is

looking into new agreements with Indo-Pacific nations. Ursula von der Leyen says she's still hoping to strike a deal with the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: We stand ready to negotiate with the United States. Indeed we have offered zero for zero tariffs for industrial goods as we have successfully done with many other trading partners because Europe is always ready for a good deal so we keep it on the table. But we are also prepared to respond through countermeasures and defend our interests.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well new developments on the killing of 15 aid workers in Gaza last month. What the Israeli military is saying after their initial investigation.

Plus the Trump administration is planning a military parade in June in Washington. What local officials are saying about the proposed event? That's next.

[03:15:00]

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CHURCH: Israel's Prime Minister met with the U.S. President on Monday and said they discussed Donald Trump's quote "bold vision of Gaza's future." President Trump reiterated his desire for U.S. control of Gaza calling it an incredible piece of important real estate and once again suggested the displacement of the enclave's population.

Netanyahu committed to enabling the Palestinians to quote "freely make a choice to go wherever they want" but didn't specify if that choice included remaining in Gaza. And he said he's working with the U.S. on another hostage deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The hostages are in agony and we want to get them all out. Steve Witkoff who's President Trump's very able representative helped us get a deal that got 25 out. We're working now on another deal that we hope will succeed and we're committed to getting all the hostages out but also eliminating the evil turret of Hamas in Gaza and enabling the people of Gaza to freely make a choice to go wherever they want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: But in Tel Aviv, Israelis continue to urgently demand a deal that will secure the release of all the hostages from Hamas captivity. Anti-government protesters cast doubts on whether Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with President Trump will help to reach an agreement to bring the hostages home and some were skeptical of the Prime Minister's motives. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BATIA COHEN, PROTESTER: He's going to look with Trump, to look with Orban. I don't think it's do any good for our people. We are here in Israel suffering.

Everyone here has family, everything that suffering in the army, hostages, killed people and he's going and a meeting that doesn't give any hope for us.

MENASHE YEHESKEL BAUM, PROTESTER: Trump can be helpful can but I think in this case is much more helpful to the Bibi government not to the people of Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:20:00]

CHURCH: Meanwhile the Israeli military says that an initial investigation into the killing of more than a dozen aid workers in Gaza last month shows it occurred due to a sense of perceived threat. But a video of the incident casts doubt on those claims.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has the details. A warning though some of this video you're about to see is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Emergency lights flashing in the predawn sky. A convoy of ambulances and a fire truck pull up to the scene of an Israeli attack.

Palestinian paramedics and civil defense responders get out of their vehicles when suddenly amid a hail of gunfire emergency responders drop to the ground. The paramedic who is filming begins to pray.

It is the single deadliest attack on emergency responders in Gaza during the war, killing 15.

The Israeli military says it is re-examining the incident after this video debunked their claim that the ambulances were advancing suspiciously and without emergency lights.

Now new testimony from a survivor further undermining the Israeli military's narrative.

Paramedic Munther Abed says Israeli troops didn't just open fire on one ambulance convoy. About an hour earlier his ambulance was also attacked.

They opened fire directly on us in the vehicle, Munther says. I survived by lying down in the back of the vehicle. If I had stood up I would have been killed.

He listened as two of his colleagues, Mustafa Khafaja and Ezzedine Shaath, drew their last breaths. Israeli troops then detained Munther. The Israeli military has described that first attack as targeting a

Hamas vehicle, killing two Hamas members and detaining a third. An Israeli military official said they were not uniformed paramedics.

But Munther says they were driving a well-lit ambulance and were wearing their uniforms.

As Israeli troops questioned Munther, other medics were dispatched to look for him. The Palestine Red Crescent Society says this is Munther's ambulance, lights extinguished after coming under fire. No comment from the Israeli military.

Munther saw the convoy arrive.

I was lying face down and a soldier had an M-16 rifle pressed against my back, with my face turned toward the street. In the street there were civil defense vehicles, fire trucks and ambulances parked nearby. They opened fire directly on them.

The Israeli military buried the bodies in this shallow grave. They say it was to prevent the bodies from being scavenged. The U.N. only reached the site a week later.

Paramedic Hassan Hosni nearly ended up in that grave. But he called in sick that day, and his son Mohammed took his place. He soon called him one last time.

Help me, dad, help me. I asked him what was wrong and he said, we were targeted by the Israelis and they are now shooting at us directly. Then the call disconnected.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: President Donald Trump said Monday that direct talks are underway between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program and a top-level meeting would take place on Saturday.

But conflicting reports are emerging from Iranian media. According to a semi-official outlet, Iran's foreign minister is due to begin indirect talks with White House Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, mediated by Oman.

Mr. Trump is expressing optimism that the talks will be successful in convincing Iran to abandon its nuclear program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We have a very big meeting and we'll see what can happen. And I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious. And the obvious is not something that I want to be involved with, or frankly, that Israel wants to be involved with, if they can avoid it.

So we're going to see if we can avoid it. But it's getting to be very dangerous territory.

And hopefully those talks will be successful. And I think it would be in Iran's best interest if they are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, weighs in on President Trump's announcement about the talks with Iran. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SABATO: He always sends a message that is Trump. He always sends a message to friend and foe alike that he, Trump, is in charge. He calls the shots and he's not necessarily going to do what the other person wants him to do.

Now, Netanyahu is one of the best allies, maybe the best ally that Trump has.

[03:25:03]

I did think it was very interesting that he phrased it the way he did. And also he refused to yield to Netanyahu's request about tariffs. He wasn't going to eliminate the 17 percent tariff on Israel.

So when you're Donald Trump's friend, you're probably treated to a better lunch or dinner than if you're his enemy. But that doesn't mean he's going to give you anything that really matters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The U.S. Agency for International Development has cancelled all its remaining humanitarian aid contracts for Afghanistan, USAID official told CNN. The notice of termination was among dozens sent this weekend as the Trump administration moves to abolish the agency by July.

It will end millions of dollars in funding that supported life-saving work in the country now under Taliban rule and suffering from decades of war and instability. According to the United Nations, about half the population of Afghanistan depends on humanitarian assistance.

The Trump administration is in the early stages of planning a military parade to take place in Washington. Two defense officials told CNN it is expected to be held on June 14 to commemorate the army's 250th anniversary. That date is also President Trump's 79th birthday.

Defense officials say preliminary plans call for the parade to stretch from the Pentagon in Arlington to the White House. Here's more from Washington's mayor on the event.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER (D), WASHINGTON, D.C.: I understand that I think it was Homeland Security, maybe the White House reached out to our special events task force, which is what most people wanting to do a parade do in the district.

So I would say it's at its early stages. Yes, they have reached out. I don't know if it's being characterized as a military parade.

Military tanks on our streets would not be good. If military tanks were used, they should be accompanied with many millions of dollars to repair the roads.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Still to come, how European cheese, olive oil and other culinary staples might be harder to find after Donald Trump's tariffs.

Plus, South Sudan tries to clear up confusion after the U.S. revokes all visas for its passport holders. We'll have the latest in a live report.

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the White House on Monday for talks with Donald Trump. They discussed tariffs, Israeli hostages, and the future of Gaza. And Netanyahu said he's working with the U.S. on another deal to secure the release of additional hostages.

President Donald Trump said Monday that direct talks are underway between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program. But a new report out of Iran says the country's foreign minister will begin indirect talks with the White House Middle East Special Envoy mediated by Oman on Saturday.

China is promising a fight to the end if the Trump administration follows through with an extra 50 percent tariff on Chinese imports unless China drops the tariffs it slapped on U.S. goods last week. The Chinese Commerce Ministry slammed what it calls unilateral bullying and blackmailing by the U.S.

And just a quick look at Europe markets, which as you can see all opened higher this hour, many above the 1 percent mark, which is very encouraging. We'll see what happens in the hours ahead.

And Donald Trump's plans include a 20 percent tariff on most products coming from the E.U. That includes Italian cooking staples that many Americans rely on, and that could cause scarcity for Italians, too.

Barbie Latza Nadeau explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: The U.S. is the second largest consumer of this, Italian-produced olive oil made in the Tuscan region. It's products like this that will be affected by U.S. tariffs

announced by President Trump. But it won't be consumers who are affected, at least not yet. It will be production lines that are hit hardest.

Extra virgin olive oil producers export about 100,000 tons to the U.S. each year, and the U.S. is Italy's third largest trading partner. Products like Parma ham turn a multi-million dollar business a year, now subject to 20 percent tariffs. These extra costs are likely to be handed down to the consumers in the long run, eventually even here in Italy.

Producers are worried that if experts to the U.S. slow down due to a lack of demand for Made in Italy products, they will have to make cuts.

[03:35:07]

And that could mean a drop in supply even here in Italy, meaning shelves like this could soon be bare.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well some in the U.S. state of Alabama are welcoming the new tariffs, especially those in the city of Bayou La Batre, the state's seafood capital.

Officials there say the city's shrimping industry has been decimated by cheap foreign imports. They believe the new tariffs on the top shrimp exporting countries will save the industry and the city itself. One resident explains why the cheap imports are so devastating.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: It's a domino effect. It's not just the guys on the shrimp boat. It's guys on the shrimp boat.

That's four people. That's four families. You got the processing plants that hire anywhere from 40 to 60 people.

That's 40 to 60 families dependent on it. You got the trucking industry. You got the marine hardware industry and the fuel industry.

It goes on. I mean, it affects a lot of people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries gave a sharp rebuke to President Trump and the Republicans' tariffs plan on Monday. The New York Democrat called the plan economic carnage and said it amounts to the largest tax increase on Americans in nearly six decades.

Jeffries also blamed the right for, quote, "marching the American economy toward a recession" and even went so far as to say that it's intentional.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Instead of costs going down, which Donald Trump promised would happen on day one of his presidency, costs are going down, they're going up.

Inflation is going up. Donald Trump and Republicans are actually crashing the economy in real time. You can't make this up. They are intentionally inflicting pain on the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: South Sudan's government is pushing back against the U.S. after claims they weren't willing to accept citizens back in a timely manner. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced all visas for the country's nationals would be cancelled as a result. But South Sudan says it's all a case of mistaken identity.

CNN's Larry Madowo joins us now from Nairobi with the latest on this. Good to see you, Larry. So what more are you learning about this?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Rosemary, South Sudanese officials feel bullied by the United States. Here's what happened according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Juba.

The United States deported a Congolese national, not South Sudanese, Congolese, to South Sudan. When he arrived in Juba, officials sent him back to the United States because he's not from their country. The State Department reacted by revoking all visas of all South Sudanese nationals because of the dispute over this one person.

What happened is that South Sudan did give an emergency travel letter to an individual named Nimiri Garang, but the person that showed up in Juba is not that individual. In fact, they say according to the U.S.' own statistics, this individual is still scheduled to arrive in Juba in May on an Egypt Air flight. So this other person who showed up in Juba was not who they issued that travel document to.

And South Sudanese officials say they are surprised that the United States is characterizing them as uncooperative when they have always cooperated. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

APUK AYEK MAYEN, SPOKESPERSON, SOUTH SUDAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY: The government of South Sudan expresses regret for the circumstances that led to this situation. However, it is imperative to highlight that South Sudan has consistently demonstrated goodwill and cooperation with the United States on immigration and deportation issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: But the United States Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau says the detail here is legally irrelevant, that foreign countries cannot re-open and re-litigate eligibility for repatriation. They maintain that South Sudan gave this individual a travel document and they should have accepted him, even though that same individual interviewed in Juba said his name is Makula Kintu and he's from the DRC. He's not from South Sudan, he also said he was deported against his will.

So South Sudanese citizens, thousands of them have received emails from the embassy telling them their visas have been revoked, they're ineligible to travel to the United States, and if they want to travel, they have to apply for new visas again.

And South Sudan says this is completely unfair because they did and they've always accepted repatriated, deported citizens, but this is not one of theirs. At this point, the standoff continues, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Larry Madowo bringing us that report from Nairobi. Many thanks for that.

A Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador is still there after the U.S. Supreme Court paused a court order mandating his return by the end of Monday.

[03:40:00]

The Trump administration admits Quilma Armando Abrego Garcia was removed from the country based on a clerical error, but argues lower courts don't have the jurisdiction to compel the federal government to act.

Abrego-Garcia was in the U.S. illegally, but a previous deportation was stopped due to threats to his safety. Now he's forced to wait for the courts to decide his fate inside a massive prison in El Salvador.

And CNN is the first U.S. T.V. network to gain access to that notorious prison where Abrego Garcia is being held since the Trump administration began sending deportees there. Here's CNN's David Culver.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: With the Supreme Court's decision, it means that Quilma Abrego Garcia will continue on inside of CECA. That is the mega prison here in El Salvador that is really a fortress of sorts. It's one that we have been inside and we've seen the conditions which are extremely, as they will even describe it themselves, prison officials, that is harsh.

And they say it's meant to be that and it's meant to be a place that will prevent people, namely gang members, that they have accused of for years causing terror to this country. However, the situation that is now at hand is you have these deportees from the United States who are inside this max security prison.

And it's very difficult to get information as to how exactly they're going about day-to-day because this is a place that is essentially sealed off from the rest of the world. I mean, they don't allow visitors. They do have a virtual screening room where you can talk to legal counsel, according to officials. They say that's what it's used for. We've seen that for ourselves. But

as far as just getting regular information out, it is extremely challenging.

So when you look at the case of one individual, Abrego Garcia, who, as the administration in the U.S. has pointed out, was mistakenly deported because of an administrative error, but is refusing to send him back here from El Salvador to the U.S., the question remains, how long will he be inside that facility?

And generally speaking, prison officials will say, when you go into CECA, you never leave. It is a one-way journey, as they put it. And so it does then become concerning, obviously, for family members who believe that due process has not been followed through here, not only for Abrego Garcia, but for even other alleged gang members who are being held there.

And then you have an entirely different group, the suspected Tren De Agua gang members, who are also from that deported group from the United States, who are being held there as well.

Now, one thing I am hearing from somebody who is familiar with the conditions inside the exact sector where the deportees are being held, is that it is slightly different from what we have seen with the Salvadoran gang members. And it's not to say it's more relaxed necessarily, but certainly, as it's been described to me, a bit less disciplined.

So it's almost militant-like when you go into where the Salvadoran gang members are. They're lined up. They don't talk.

The contrast that has been described to me for where the suspected Tren De Agua gang members are, they're able to have conversation. They're leaning up against the bars. Even I've heard that they're allowed to have sheets.

Now, that sounds strange, but when you think about where CECA keeps Salvadoran gang members, it's metal bunk beds, no sheets, really no comforts of life.

And so it does suggest that for some reason, there may be a distinction in how prison officials are treating these deportees from the United States versus those who they have imprisoned here in El Salvador under their own reasoning.

And perhaps it also suggests that there is an intent at some point that these individuals might actually leave CECA, something that they say is never done. And perhaps that is a reason that they might be treated differently if that is, in fact, the case.

It's something that is increasingly difficult to determine, but something that folks at some point may be able to share firsthand. And the family of Abrego Garcia certainly hope he will be able to do just that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Coming up, how a measles outbreak and a second death in Texas is forcing the U.S. Health Secretary, a noted vaccine skeptic, to change his message. Back with that and more in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he will tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending the use of fluoride in drinking water. That is according to the Associated Press.

On Monday, Kennedy visited the state of Utah to celebrate the passing of Make America Healthy Again bills. Utah has become the first U.S. state to ban adding fluoride to public drinking water, with the law set to take effect in May.

And after the death of a second child from measles in the U.S. state of Texas, Health Secretary Robert Kennedy, who has a history of decrying vaccines, is now stressing the importance of vaccination.

CNN's Meg Tirrell has the latest.

[03:50:04]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went to Texas on Sunday to attend the funeral of this school-aged child who died from measles, the second death in this measles outbreak. The first was another school-aged child. They both were unvaccinated.

And we know of this child, that they were previously healthy, had no previous reported underlying health conditions. The cause of death was measles pulmonary failure. And we know that measles can cause pneumonia as a complication of severe disease, which is one of the reasons this virus can be so dangerous.

Now, this is a large and quickly growing outbreak that's really centered in West Texas, that state now reporting 481 cases in this outbreak, 56 hospitalizations and these two deaths. But this has also spread to nearby states, to New Mexico, also to Oklahoma and up to Kansas.

There's also one death under investigation in New Mexico. And you can see from this line graph that cases, particularly in Texas, are growing very quickly. An epidemiologist suggests that the fact that there are possibly three deaths in this outbreak suggests there are likely many more cases that haven't been counted, possibly into the thousands. And so there's a lot of concern that this outbreak is going to

continue and will be very large. 98 percent of the cases in Texas were in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccine status is unknown.

And there's been a lot of push to see a more wholehearted endorsement of vaccination, particularly from health secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who is known as an anti-vaccine advocate, also from the CDC, where which has not been communicating to the degree that we are used to in outbreaks of this kind.

However, over the weekend, Secretary Kennedy did post on social media, quote, "The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine." So that is a step in the right direction, health experts say. But they also want to hear him go farther to say that the vaccine is safe and that people should get it as the best way to prevent measles and to stop this outbreak.

They're also concerned about misinformation. He put in another social media post lauding doctors on the ground in Texas who are providing unapproved treatments for measles. They stress that really vaccination is the best way to prevent this and the best way to stop this outbreak.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, CNN speaks with the youngest head coach to win the NCAA National Championship since 1983. We will have his remarks following the big win after the break.

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[03:55:00]

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone.

The L.A. Dodgers paid a visit to Donald Trump at the White House on Monday to celebrate their World Series title, keeping with a longstanding tradition of sports champions meeting with the U.S. President. During the ceremony, Trump singled out several players for their achievements last season, including Shohei Ohtani, who became baseball's first to achieve 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases, and Mookie Betts, who is praised for his play. In 2019, Betts had opted not to visit Trump at the White House as part of the Boston Red Sox after they won the 2018 World Series.

The March Madness finale went down to the wire on Monday after a narrow win over the Houston Cougars, 65-63. The Florida Gators have now been crowned NCAA champions.

Early on, Florida struggled to score against Houston's defense, the Cougars built a 12-point lead in the second half, but in true tournament fashion, the Gators rallied for a comeback down the stretch. With under a minute left in the game, Florida took the lead and held it, stopping Houston's final scoring attempt. The championship win marks the Gators' third national title.

CNN's Coy Wire caught up with the head coach of the Gators, Todd Golden, following Florida's nail-biting victory.

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COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: Coach, what does this win mean for you and Gator Nation?

TODD GOLDEN, HEAD COACH, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA: Obviously, we're thrilled, man. It's a heck of a moment, an incredible opportunity to be here, and the fact that we finished it up means everything in the world.

Come here.

WIRE: Oh, you got your family here. This is an incredible moment. You're the youngest coach since 1983 to get a title.

How has this journey been to you?

GOLDEN: It's been great, you know. I've been fortunate to work with great people along the way and have great players, and in three short years, we got the University of Florida's basketball program back where it belongs, which is winning national championships.

WIRE: The win in the final seconds. Tell us about the mental makeup of your team that enables you to pull off this title.

GOLDEN: They've displayed it all year in adverse conditions and situations. They found a way to step up, hang on to your guts, and push through and finish. Against one of the best teams in America, we did it again tonight.

Our senior leaders have been a lead all year, and our younger front court players make sure they reach that level that's expected on every night. It led us to 36 wins. Thank you.

It led us to 36 wins, and now we're national champions.

WIRE: And now you told me after a win, you were maybe going to bust out the robot and mosh pit with your team.

GOLDEN: I don't know. I don't know, man.

I don't get it yet. I got to wait until the team gets in here.

WIRE: Congrats, coach.

GOLDEN: Thanks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well done.

And thanks to your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day.

"The Amanpour Hour is next," then stay tuned for "Early Start" with Rahel Solomon starting at 5 a.m. in New York, 10 a.m. in London.

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