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Trump Threatens Harvard to Tax as a Political Entity; War in Sudan Turns Three; China's GDP Grows in First Quarter of 2025; Captain Canuck Meets Donald Trump to Commemorate 50 Years of the Iconic Canadian Superhero. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired April 16, 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]

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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London, just ahead.

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Protesters turn out in support of a man who was mistakenly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

Donald Trump escalates his battle against higher education, threatening to get rid of a tax break for Harvard University after freezing billions in federal funds.

And two years into Sudan's bloody civil war, what the U.N. calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis grows even more desperate.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from London, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Christina Macfarlane.

MACFARLANE: A U.S. federal judge overseeing the case of a wrongfully deported man says there's no evidence the Trump administration is following her orders to facilitate his return. Kilmar Abrego-Garcia was deported to El Salvador's notorious mega prison last month.

In a hearing Tuesday, the judge said she was dissatisfied with the Trump administration's statements about the case.

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The case has sparked massive backlash against the Trump administration, with protesters demanding justice for Abrego-Garcia. His wife says her children have spent several harrowing weeks without their father.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER VASQUEZ, WIFE OF KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA: I will not stop fighting until I see my husband alive. Kilmar, if you can hear me, stay strong. God hasn't forgotten about you. Our children are asking, when will you come home? And I pray for the day I tell them the time and date that you'll return.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: But the White House is doubling down with a tirade of unproven allegations against the Maryland father of three.

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KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The Democrat and media outrage over the deportation of Abrego-Garcia, an MS-13 El Salvadorian illegal alien criminal who was hiding in Maryland, has been nothing short of despicable.

Based on the sensationalism of many of the people in this room, you would think we deported a candidate for father of the year.

Abrego-Garcia was a foreign terrorist. He is an MS-13 gang member, he was engaged in human trafficking, he illegally came into our country. And so deporting him back to El Salvador was always going to be the end result. There is never going to be a world in which this is an individual who is going to live a peaceful life in Maryland.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has more on the judge's demands.

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PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tuesday marked yet another tense hearing in the case over Kilmar Abrego-Garcia, the Salvadoran national who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, according to the Trump administration, which called it, quote, "an administrative error."

Now, the federal judge in this case has been quite frustrated over the course of multiple hearings, finding that the answers that the Justice Department has been providing are not satisfactory.

And that was also the case on Tuesday, as she asked for more evidence as to what the administration was doing to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia.

Now, the Supreme Court had required the administration to facilitate, but stopped short of requiring his return, sending it back to the lower court in terms of how they would effectuate that and having the lower court define that further.

Now, the federal judge on Tuesday saying that she hasn't received any evidence to that point. And the Justice Department pointing to the Oval Office meeting that happened on Monday between President Trump and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.

Federal judge, however, saying that that doesn't quite cut it, that she needs to have a record in the court. Rather, she needs to have the evidence submitted to the court that it's not just what happens in the public forum.

To that point, she said, quote, "I don't consider what happened yesterday, Monday, really evidence before this court yet."

Now the Trump administration's position has been that in addition to the emphasis on deference of foreign affairs that the Supreme Court put, that they also have to rather read this decision to me that they have to remove domestic barriers only for his return.

[03:05:01]

Federal judge taking issue with that, saying, quote, "when a wrongfully removed individual from the United States is outside the borders, it's not so cut and dry that all you have to do is remove domestic barriers."

Now, she ordered an intense two week discovery, which is to say to gather that evidence, to create that record that she has been seeking. She also said that she is prepared to issue an order which expands on the definition of the word facilitate.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.

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MACFARLANE: Well, Kilmar Abrego Garcia's attorney spoke earlier with CNN's Kate Bolduan. She explains what the U.S. government could be doing to secure his release. There are many things the government could do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RINA GANDHI, ATTORNEY FOR KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA: There are many other cases from our clients as well that we've seen personally where the government helps to bring foreign nationals, legal permanent residents, U.S. citizens back from foreign countries.

We have a number of agencies, not just DHS, who are tasked with maintaining our foreign relations, who have contacts, who have liaisons who they can reach out to. The Supreme Court was clear. They must facilitate his release, not just his return physically into the United States, but his release.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: One of the things that we heard from the borders are Tom Homan today and also others in the administration is that if your client is brought back to the United States, they are going to move to just simply deport him again. Are you all prepared for that?

GANDHI: Yes, 100 percent. However, bring him back and let's have the actual proper procedure that should have happened if this was their allegation.

There is a proper way to remove someone's withholding of removal grant. That's not impossible. But he was not given that opportunity.

They decided they were the judge for him and they've removed him without him ever seeing a courtroom. If he were to return, which is what we are asking for, fine, put forward your evidence, file a motion, have a judge make a decision.

But they don't get that right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: And that was Kilmar Abrego Garcia's attorney, Rina Gandhi, speaking to CNN earlier.

And meanwhile, the U.S. President said once again that he would love to deport American criminals to El Salvador. His latest remarks came during an interview with Fox News' Spanish network.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're getting them out and the president is helping us with that, President Bukele.

RACHEL CAMPOS-DUFFY, "FOX NOTICIAS" ANCHOR: Could we use it for violent criminals, our own violent criminals?

TRUMP: I call them homegrown criminals.

CAMPOS-DUFFY: The homegrowns.

TRUMP: I mean, the homegrown, the ones that grew up and something went wrong and they hit people over the head with a baseball bat. We have and push people into subways just before the train gets there, like you see happening sometimes.

We are looking into it and we want to do it. I would love to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, during a visit with the Salvadorian president on Monday, Donald Trump said his attorney general is studying the laws on whether so-called homegrown criminals can be deported. El Salvador is home to the infamous CECOT prison, which is used to jail U.S. deportees for a fee.

Well, Donald Trump's ideological battle with some of America's most prestigious colleges and universities has risen to a new level with Harvard. The President now threatening to strip the oldest university in the United States of its tax-exempt status and tax Harvard as a political entity after its leaders refused to make key policy changes that the White House is demanding.

Well, Harvard's president says they will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. Trump administration has since frozen more than $2 billion in federal grants and contracts at Harvard. The school's former president called it a punitive and unlawful attack. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY SUMMERS, FORMER HARVARD PRESIDENT: This is an attempt to impose the kind of regulation on Harvard that is imposed by government on universities in countries that we don't think of as democracies, countries that don't have free speech protections.

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MACFARLANE: More now on this from CNN's Jeff Zeleny at the White House.

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JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: President Trump engaging in an extraordinary back-and-forth with one of the nation's most prestigious universities, Harvard University, threatened to hold back some $2 billion in federal funding. He says he has not seen enough action from Harvard in terms of eliminating DEI programs and others.

Now, this all stems from our charges this administration has made against what it believes has been anti-Semitism on college campuses. Now, many universities like Columbia University has fallen into line and done what the administration has liked. Some faculty members have said this is an abridgement of First Amendment rights.

But the White House press secretary said President Trump is looking for something specific from Harvard.

[03:10:05]

LEAVITT: He also wants to see Harvard apologize and Harvard should apologize for the egregious anti-Semitism that took place on their college campus against Jewish American students.

ZELENY: So Harvard University is standing up to the White House, at least so far, unlike other institutions of higher learning. One reason for that is they have a $50 billion endowment more than any other university by far. They're also engaging with some conservative lawyers to push back against this administration.

So it's clear that this is likely to end up in the higher courts, perhaps even the Supreme Court.

Now, we know the president has always talked about the Ivy League, the importance of Ivy League education. He's a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Of course, the vice president, also a graduate of an Ivy League school, a Yale law school.

But the president is seizing on this fight. It's one way he can make a fight against an elite institution like Harvard.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MACFARLANE: Well, Steven Pinker is a professor of psychology at Harvard. He spoke with my colleague Omar Jimenez about the impact the funding freeze will have on the vital research being done at the university.

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STEVEN PINKER, PROF. OF PSYCHOLOGY, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: The thing to take into account is that the federal funding, it's not like Harvard's on welfare. The funding that we're talking about is a scientist writes a grant proposal to study, say, aging or heart disease or Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. The grant is evaluated competitively.

If it is good enough, then Harvard gives the scientist research to do the funding. If the funding is withdrawn, the research doesn't get done. Harvard is a conduit and a host. It's not support of Harvard, it's support of research that has to take place somewhere.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: And that's, of course, some of the research that could be affected with this freeze. And the student newspaper there is reporting that a researcher, Harvard Crimson, is reporting that a researcher working on ALS says he received an order to stop work immediately.

Can you just expand a little on what the country does stand to lose if this funding freeze stays in place? Because it's not just limited to Harvard.

PINKER: That's right. In the United States, research takes place at our universities. They're the envy of the world because universities attract the best talent from everywhere in the world.

They hire on the basis of talent and accomplishment. Compared to many European universities, we have very little cronyism in universities. It really is a meritocracy.

And there's vicious competition for these federal grants. The research on energy, on technology, on electronics, on the internet, on health, on child development is done in universities. The government itself, we don't trust to do all of that research.

So what the American people have to lose is all of this research is done at universities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: That's Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker speaking with Omar Jimenez.

All right, still to come on "CNN Newsroom," bloodshed, famine and no end to the fighting. Sudan's civil war enters its third year.

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MACFARLANE: Sudan has now entered the third year of its devastating civil war and there's no end in sight to the violence. Tens of thousands of people have been killed. Millions more have been displaced and the U.N. warns the conflict has set off the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Port Sudan has been inundated with refugees from the capital Khartoum and other areas consumed by the fighting. Many of those now living in camps are dealing with a lack of basic services, severe shortages and spreading famine.

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UNKNOWN (through translator): As they say, the displacement itself is very deep and we are deeply in pain.

UNKNOWN (through translator): We were suffering before the war began, but when the war began, we were stopped from the usual suffering and our thoughts, we became lost. We couldn't comprehend anything. We are not able to understand and we can't adapt to our situation until this moment.

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MACFARLANE: Well, key players pledged hundreds of millions of dollars at a conference in London on Tuesday. European foreign ministers are pushing for an immediate ceasefire along with the return to a civilian-led government and for desperately needed aid to be allowed into Sudan.

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DAVID LAMMY, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: Very simply, we have got to persuade the warring parties to protect civilians, to let aid in and across the country and to put peace first.

JEAN-NOEL BARROT, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We will not abandon Sudan because it is our security and our responsibility as a permanent member of the Security Council.

ANNALENA BAERBOCK, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER: No amount of humanitarian assistance will be sufficient if this war continues. As said by the African Union, there cannot be any military solution. This war must end.

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MACFARLANE: Well Sudanese officials complain that no representatives from either the warring parties were invited to the conference. Rights groups have accused both the Sudanese army and rival paramilitary rapid support forces of war crimes, but most atrocities have been blamed on the RSF. That includes a deadly assault on a camp in Darfur.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee there. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has the details. [03:20:06]

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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You are looking at images of a famine-stricken camp where families forced out of their home by war were attacked by a militia accused of genocide.

This video, verified and geolocated by CNN, shows the Rapid Support Forces known as the RSF attacking the sprawling Zamzam camp in the Darfur region of Sudan, forcing thousands of hungry and desperate people to flee for their lives.

This is what we know right now. The RSF raided the camp, killed dozens of people, set fire to tents in marketplaces, deliberately targeted health clinics, and killed at least nine medical workers, according to Relief International, an aid agency.

This satellite imagery shows that the RSF carried out a scorched earth policy across an area of 165 football fields. The RSF, which is seen here celebrating, has denied targeting civilians. Now Darfur, the region where this took place, is the epicenter of a genocide that was reignited when a civil war broke out between the RSF and the Sudanese army.

That war is now entering its third year and it has triggered what the U.N. calls the world's greatest humanitarian crisis. Once again, those with a Black or African tribal identity are being systematically hunted and killed by Arab militias like the RSF in what has been determined to be a genocide by the U.S. State Department.

And there is no end in sight to this conflict. Millions of people are unseen, battered, bruised, bombed in besiege, denied medical care and basic services, while the warring factions only exacerbate the suffering.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

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MACFARLANE: Well Rossella Miccio is the president of EMERGENCY, a non- governmental organization dedicated to providing free, high-quality health care for all. And she is joining us now from the Port Sudan, on Sudan's Red Sea coast. Thank you so much for your time today.

I know that your organization, EMERGENCY, have been on the ground for the entirety of this two-year conflict now, as we enter year three.

When the U.N. say that Sudan is now the world's largest humanitarian crisis and that it is facing a catastrophic breaking point, can you just describe what that means in terms of what you're seeing on the ground and the scale of it?

ROSELLA MICCIO, PRESIDENT, EMERGENCY: Well, the situation here is really dramatic in the country. It's a huge country where more than 40 percent of the population is in need of humanitarian aid. 12 million people have been forced to leave their homes and sometimes even twice or three times because the front line was coming closer.

The capital has been for the last four months completely without electricity, no running water, no access to food, particularly in the last two months, fresh food was not available.

So it's really very difficult to make a living in this situation. And where in areas like Port Sudan, when there is no active fighting, the cities have been overwhelmed with the IDPs, population has been troubled with a very poor infrastructure, particularly the health infrastructure in the country was weak before, now it has collapsed completely. So very difficult situation.

MACFARLANE: The WHO are saying that 26 million people, that's roughly half the population, are now facing acute food shortages. Are you seeing evidence of famine already taking hold in parts of Sudan?

MICCIO: Not in the area where we are for sure. Malnutrition has increased, both for children and adults. We have seen malnutrition in adults, particularly those who have other, I mean, different diseases and then with no access to food, this is creating an increasing and worrisome level of malnutrition. Famine, we have not really seen famine in Port Sudan or in Khartoum, nor in the city of Niala where we do have another pediatric center.

But definitely an increase in these areas of the level of malnutrition, food poisoning, because people have started to eat also expired food. So definitely access to proper nutrition and food has been an issue all through these years.

[03:25:05]

MACFARLANE: I know that your organization have a number of pediatric centers or medical centers around Sudan. And we saw obviously last month that the Sudanese army retook the capital of Khartoum. What ability did that give you to service those medical facilities and to return there to continue your work?

MICCIO: Well, we have been working in Khartoum continuously since the war started, because we were there since 2007, actually 2005, with the pediatric center and the center for cardiac surgery. Over the past two years, it has been a real challenge to make sure that the hospital could receive the necessary medical, technical supplies, the food, but also the medical staff to run the facility.

And over the last three months, the situation has been particularly dire, because for two and a half months, Khartoum, particularly the southern part of Khartoum, until the army has retaken it, was completely sealed off. So we had the containers stuck for two and a half months in Shandy, together with the medical staff needed.

And finally, three weeks ago, we were able to allow these supplies in to change the team, the medical staff. I was able also to reach Khartoum for the first time after a year. And it was, yes.

MACFARLANE: It's good news. I just wanted to get your thoughts. Yesterday, we saw European leaders meeting here in London to push once again for a ceasefire. After two years of war, beyond simply an end to the war, what is it that you need most from international leaders? And what would your message be to them?

MICCIO: Well, first of all, to the needs for humanitarian assistance, because last year, the needs were covered only up to 50 percent. So it means that 50 percent of what was needed was never available for the Sudanese people. And then to push for broader access for humanitarian assistance to the population in need.

It's not easy, because also logistically, the country is really huge, and there are areas that are not safe, but people do need to be supported. It's really urgent. And of course, the end of the conflict would be the best solution for the people of Sudan.

MACFARLANE: Yes, of course. Rosella, we admire the work that you're doing there. And we appreciate your time with us today. Thank you.

MICCIO: Thank you. Thanks for talking about Sudan.

MACFARLANE: All right, coming up, Democratic lawmakers are asking to take an official trip to El Salvador's notorious mega prison as they fight for the return of a wrongly deported man.

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[03:30:00]

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MACFARLANE: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Christina McFarlane. Let's take a check of the top stories today.

U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to strip Harvard University of its tax-exempt status and tax it as a political entity. This, after Harvard's leaders refused to make key policy changes the White House is demanding. The Trump administration has also frozen more than $2 billion in federal research grants and contracts with Harvard.

Well Donald Trump says he would love to deport U.S. citizens he calls homegrown criminals to El Salvador. Speaking to Fox News, the U.S. President said, quote, "we are looking into it and we want to do it." It's a repeat of what he told Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele at the White House on Monday while begging him to build more mega prisons.

The U.S. federal judge is demanding the Trump administration provide evidence that they're complying with her order to facilitate the return of a man wrongly deported to El Salvador. The judge says each day Kilmar Abrego Garcia remains in the country's second mega prison is, quote, "a day of irreparable harm."

Democratic lawmakers are calling for justice for Kilmar Abrego Garcia and for his safe return to the United States. Democratic Senator of Maryland, the state where Abrego Garcia lived with his family, says he will travel to El Salvador Wednesday to push for his return. And two Democratic House representatives are requesting a congressional delegation visit to the prison, the mega prison in El Salvador.

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REP. MAXWELL FROST (D-FL): The goal is to put pressure on the situation. The other thing is we want to see this man. We want to see this man and we want to talk to this man, I don't trust this administration at all.

[03:34:57]

While the President of El Salvador was slinging around these baseless accusations, calling him a terrorist, which haven't been substantiated by anybody, the president sat there silently, not defending him, not talking about the facts of the matter, which is the most concerning part about this whole thing.

We know the President of El Salvador is another Trump lapdog who just wants to suck up to Trump, make him smile. And Trump didn't do anything about that situation when he was completely tossed around with these baseless allegations on Mr. Garcia. So our goal is to go over there and talk with him, make sure he's OK, make sure that he's alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well Maxwell Frost also says the case has larger ramifications, with President Trump threatening to send U.S. citizens to El Salvador.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FROST: Whether you're undocumented, whether you're not undocumented, everyone should care about this is because the administration is essentially saying we can deport anybody. We can send anybody, whether you're a citizen or not, overseas. And once it's litigated, if the court tells us to bring you back, whether you're a citizen or not, we can just chalk it up to saying it's foreign policy and the court has no business in foreign policy.

This is about him, but it's our entire country. It's about the rights of every single American, every single human in this country. That's why we have to make a big deal about this right now.

That's why we have to go there right now. This is about every single one of my constituents, no matter what their legal status is.

And so we have to focus on this. We have to ensure that the Constitution is being followed, that the rule of law is being followed, because right now, today it's Mr. Garcia. Tomorrow it can be any one of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, the Trump administration has revoked visas of more than 500 students, faculty and researchers at universities across the U.S. That's according to a review by CNN. Now, universities in Canada are reporting more students living in the U.S. are applying to study there.

The University of British Columbia in Vancouver reported a 27 percent jump in graduate applications from U.S. citizens. A school official attributed the rise to the Trump administration's crackdown on universities. The administration has frozen hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for numerous universities, pressing them to make policy changes.

Hamas says it's studying an Israeli ceasefire proposal and will respond as soon as possible. A Hamas official says the deal calls for the release of 10 hostages from Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. The framework for a 45-day ceasefire is also on the table.

The proposal also calls for the release of an Israeli-American hostage, Edan Alexander, on the first day of the truce as a special gesture to the U.S. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more from Tel Aviv.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hamas' armed wing is claiming to have lost contact with the militants holding the Israeli soldier, Edan Alexander, hostage in the Gaza Strip. They say they lost contact with those militants after an Israeli bombardment on the location where Alexander was being held.

Now, CNN cannot independently verify this claim made by the al-Qassam brigades. We have reached out to the Israeli military, as well as to the hostages and missing families forum for comment on this matter. The al-Qassam brigade spokesman says that they are still trying to reach those militants, but have not been able to so far, effectively suggesting that those militants, as well as Alexander, could very well be dead or gravely injured.

Now, it is also important to note that the al-Qassam brigades has previously lied about the fate of at least one hostage. Last November, the al-Qassam brigades released images of the body of what they said was a deceased Israeli female hostage.

Her family was actually able to identify her based on a tattoo on her arm. And that hostage was the Israeli soldier Daniela Gilboa, who was released by Hamas during the second ceasefire agreement earlier this year. She later said through her family that she had been forced to stage her death in those images that were later released and led her family to believe that she had died.

So it's important to note that because we simply do not know the veracity of this Hamas claim, but certainly it is consequential. And it comes at this critical moment when we are seeing some progress or at least some momentum towards reaching a deal between Israel and Hamas over another ceasefire agreement.

And Edan Alexander has been central to all of those proposals. In this latest Israeli proposal, which Hamas, we are told, is indeed studying, reviewing, and considering, Edan Alexander would be the first of 10 living hostages to be released in exchange for a 45-day truce and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners being released from Israeli jails.

[03:40:05]

We do not know whether this proposal will actually become a reality. There is certainly a sense of optimism, a sense of progress, but it's also very clear that many gaps still remain. One of those is that this proposal calls for Hamas to disarm, which is something that a senior Hamas official told us they are simply not willing to do.

So again, it's clear there are still many gaps. A lot still needs to be done for this proposal to become a reality. But certainly there are very, very active discussions right now about another ceasefire in Gaza that could see the release of at least some of the 59 hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: NATO's Secretary-General Mark Rutte is pledging the Alliance's unwavering support for Ukraine. He met with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Odessa on Tuesday. Ukraine's state news agency reports about the two men talked about the country's need for weapons and air defense systems days after a Russian missile attacked on Sumy that killed 35 people.

Rutte expressed NATO's backing for efforts to end Russia's war on Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL: These discussions are not easy, not least in the wake of this horrific violence. But we all support President Trump's push for peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, Rutte and Zelenskyy also talked about guaranteeing Ukraine's security of a ceasefire deal with Russia can be reached.

Now four journalists linked to the late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny have been sentenced to five and a half years in a penal colony. Russia's state media says the reporters were accused of working for an organization founded by Navalny.

Prosecutors say they produced material for the YouTube channel of a banned anti-corruption foundation. Journalists deny the accusations and their lawyer says they will appeal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELENA SHEREMETYEVA, ARTEM KRIGER'S LAWYER (through translator): Strongly disagree with the verdict. The verdict is illegal and unfair. The preliminary investigation did not provide a single piece of evidence, reliable evidence, confirming my client's guilt.

Therefore, we intend to appeal the verdict.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Now Human Rights Watch says since Navalny's death last year in a Russian prison, authorities have been trying to erase his political legacy. They point to the arrests of mourners who gathered in February for memorials marking the first anniversary of Navalny's death.

Okay, still to come, China's economy growing stronger than expected ahead of Donald Trump's tariffs. But the U.S. president argues China needs the U.S. more than the U.S. needs China. More on the global trade war just ahead.

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[03:45:00]

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MACFARLANE: Welcome back.

U.S. President Donald Trump is said to be considering at least 15 trade deals with various countries at the moment, according to the White House press secretary. If true, it could mean the Trump administration's aggressive push for trade agreements that benefit the U.S. may be working after pausing the president's so-called reciprocal tariffs.

But the White House gave no details on whose proposals are being considered or what's in those deals. But safe to assume China is not on that list. The 145 percent tariffs the U.S. imposed on Chinese imports last week are still in effect.

And on Tuesday, the press secretary read a statement from President Trump who says the onus is on Beijing to come to the table.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEAVITT: The ball is in China's court. China needs to make a deal with us.

We don't have to make a deal with them. There's no difference between China and any other country except they are much larger. And China wants what we have, what every country wants, what we have the American consumer or to put another way, they need our money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well new data from China shows the country's economy grew stronger than expected in the first quarter before President Trump's tariffs kicked in. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: China's first quarter GDP data is out and it reveals growth in the world's second largest economy, just as President Donald Trump dials up the tariff pressure.

China's economy grew 5.4 percent year on year, it defied expectations. Remember, China is facing multiple economic challenges as it struggles to rebound from a post-pandemic slump, including low consumer spending, low consumer confidence, high youth unemployment, and an ongoing property slump.

China has set an ambitious growth target of 5 percent for the year. But economists say that will be hard to reach given the trade war.

Now Trump has jacked up tariffs on many Chinese imports to an astounding 145 percent. And China has hit back with retaliatory tariffs and other measures including a curve on rare earth exports, sparking fears of a prolonged trade war. So investment banks are slashing their China growth forecast for the year.

UBS has lowered his forecast from 4 percent to 3.4 percent for the year. The bank says this quote, "We expect China's exports to the U.S. to fall by two thirds in the coming quarters, and its overall exports to fall by 10 percent and U.S.D terms in 2025, the latter also takes into account slower U.S. and global growth."

Now, Citi adds this quote, "We see little scope for a deal between the U.S. and China after recent escalations."

[03:50:04]

Now, all eyes on whether Beijing will roll out any new stimulus. China's Politburo is set to meet later this month to set its policy agenda.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

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MACFARLANE: Well, the trade war is already causing some industries concern over how they will source materials or pay inflated prices for products. One of those is the U.S. board games industry with shop owners already dreading a spike in costs and greater reluctance from consumers to buy.

Colin Jefferey has those details.

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COLIN JEFFEREY, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): The tariffs on imports from China are skyrocketing, already more than doubling the costs of items from the country. The latest analysis from the Budget Lab at Yale indicates the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs will cost the typical middle class household an additional $3700 a year.

Jamie Mathy, owner of retailer Red Raccoon Games, says this means less disposable income for his customers.

JAMIE MATHY, OWNER, RED RACCOON GAMES: There are only so many entertainment dollars in each family's budget, and so we probably sell fewer units than we would have before.

JEFFEREY (voice-over): Trump says the tariffs will encourage companies to make their products in the U.S. However, industry leaders say there aren't enough facilities here to make that happen, and building them out is costly.

MEREDITH PLACKO, CEO, STEVE JACKSON GAMES: So if I wanted to even start a factory, which by the way, I've started pricing that out myself, it's going to cost, oh, let's see, a machine that was $22,000 is now 125 percent more.

JEFFEREY (voice-over): Lots of board games are made in China, but the tariffs are likely to impact the many people who work in the industry in the U.S.

JOHN STACY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GAMA: Well, the games are not made here, people are working here and making a living here in this industry. So it's important to keep that in mind but the downsides of having these tariffs.

JEFFEREY (voice-over): Beyond the tariffs, board game manufacturers and retailers say the economic uncertainty and talk of a possible recession make it difficult for them to build their businesses.

PLACKO: There's no plan in place to bring the infrastructure back, but that's the uncertainty that's also killing us as much as these tariffs.

MATHY: There's an entire list I went through with my senior staff yesterday of things that we were working on that we're putting a hold on until we have some stability and we know what's going on.

JEFFEREY (voice-over): In Atlanta, I'm Colin Jeffery reporting.

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MACFARLANE: Well the Trump tariffs have brought about a resurgence for a Canadian comic book superhero. Just ahead, we'll find out about the truth, justice and the Canadian way.

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MACFARLANE: President Trump's ongoing trade war against Canada has had one beneficial effect. It has led to a boost in the popularity of Captain Canuck, Canada's very own comic book superhero.

[03:55:06]

He burst onto the scene decades ago, but his fight for the truth, justice and the Canadian way is just as relevant today. Paula Newton reports.

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Canada's comic book superhero, Captain Canuck is back and this time he's taking on U.S. President Donald Trump.

In this 50th anniversary issue, Captain Canuck fights to protect Canada's independence from the U.S. Canuck's co-creator Richard Comely says he wanted to bring the maple-leaf-covered hero back after Trump said he wanted Canada to become the 51st U.S. state and started his trade war with allied countries.

RICHARD COMELY, CO-CREATOR, CAPTAIN CANUCK: All of a sudden, Trump gets into office and he starts talking about annexation and tariffs and yes, all of a sudden Canadians are looking to Captain Canuck as a symbol and it's basically to them Captain Canuck symbolizes independence. We have, no thank you, we have our own independence, we have our own symbols.

NEWTON (voice-over): Since 1975, Captain Canuck has been a symbol of Canadian strength. Storylines about fighting off foreign powers and groups who tried to take over Canada.

COMELY: Never in any of those stories was it America that was going to be taking over Canada.

NEWTON (voice-over): Captain Canuck has been popular in Canada for years with a countless number of comic books, spin-offs and even a web series. Comely says he has received lots of new interest in the character since political tensions began to rise between the U.S. and Canada.

COMELY: So in a sense we have Mr. Trump to thank for a bit of resurgence.

NEWTON (voice-over): Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.

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MACFARLANE: Now two mountain climbers have set a new speed record in the Swiss Alps. A Swiss climber and his Austrian partner completed the hike up Switzerland's world-famous three peaks in only 15 hours and 30 minutes.

That actually shattered the old record of 25 hours which was set back in 2004. The duo completed the climb in the Bernese Alps on Switzerland last Wednesday. Look at that, pretty perilous.

Thank you for joining us here on "CNN Newsroom." I'm Christina Macfarlane. Have a wonderful day.

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

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