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El Salvador Denies Maryland Senator's Request to Visit Deported Man in Prison; Beekeeping Industry Hits Hard by Budget Cuts; Puerto Rico Struggles with Electricity in Time for Easter; Colossal Squid Resembles a Glass Sculpture Found in a Deep Sea Footage. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired April 17, 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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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Kristie Lu Stout.

Just ahead, new warnings about the global trade war as President Trump continues to push for negotiations. Which countries are coming to the table?

Israel's new military operation in Gaza expanding rapidly in the war- torn enclave. What we know about the latest strikes on a refugee camp.

Plus there is a growing crisis in the beekeeping community. How one researcher says a rise in bee deaths could affect your food supply.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Hong Kong, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kristie Lu Stout.

LU STOUT: The World Trade Organization is warning that U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war will have a global impact and trading prospects have, quote, "deteriorated sharply."

Now the group expects global trade to shrink by 0.2 percent compared to 2.7 percent growth forecast before the trade war. Now the WTO predicts that North America will be hit the hardest and see a greater economic slowdown and developing nations will likely bear the brunt of the tariff standoff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION: Trade fragmentation, we think, will have a very, very difficult impact on global growth. And I've mentioned the number of 7 percent real loss in global GDP in the longer term. So you can term it any term you like, but we are very clear that this is not something that would work for developing countries because they suffer even more.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LU STOUT: OK, let's take a look at how markets are faring today. And some of Europe's markets are just opening. Let's bring up the dynamic data for you.

You'll see the FTSE is trading lower, half a percent, the CAC 40 down 0.15 percent and the Xetra DAX gaining about three-tenths of one percent.

Meanwhile, here in Asia, markets across the region have ended their trading day, and let's take a look. The Nikkei ending the day stronger, 1.35 percent stronger. Here in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng also gains, ending the day up 1.4 percent.

The Seoul KOSPI also up one percent. Shanghai, though, the composite there losing just a smidge, down 0.06 percent.

And here's a quick check of U.S. futures as we await the opening bell in just a few hours from now. And green arrows across the board with the Nasdaq futures, S&P 500, Dow, all pointing stronger.

Now, world leaders, they are making the trip to Washington right now in an effort to secure better trade deals with the U.S. In fact, in the coming hours, the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, is set to meet with President Trump to bolster relations and avoid punishing tariffs.

Meanwhile, Beijing remains open to talks with the U.S., but a source tells CNN that China's government wants a show of respect before they engage in talks. But apparently trade talks between Japan and the U.S. are going well, at least according to President Trump. He posted online saying that there was, quote, "big progress in those discussions."

Now CNN's Mike Valerio has more in the trade war joins us now from Seoul. And Mike, tariff talks, the trade war rages on with new updates from Japan and China. What you got?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we got, Kristie, that there seem to be two emerging tracks, two emerging storylines. We have China going nowhere fast with negotiations, but we have optimism that for now and we catch these comments in for now, optimism that seem to be ruling the day in Seoul and in Tokyo.

When we looked at the markets, the closing bell just rang in Tokyo a couple minutes ago. We have about a half hour left in trading here in Seoul, but we're close to up one percent. And it's because we seem to have positive signs that they are headed in the right direction for a deal when it comes to Japan and South Korea may follow suit next week.

So let's put up on the board the Truth social post that is certainly the talk of bankers and traders, government officials here in Seoul and in Tokyo.

This is Ryosei Akazawa, he is the minister of economic revival for Japan meeting with President Trump unexpectedly behind the Resolute desk. President Trump not on the schedule to join trade negotiations between Japan and the United States today, but he did. And he presented Minister Akazawa with a signed red MAGA hat.

[03:04:59]

So there seem to be from Shigeru Ishiba, the prime minister of Japan, as well as Minister Akazawa, positive sentiments that a deal is headed again in the right direction. Akazawa saying in part to members of the media, quote, "We are very grateful that President Trump met with us. The president never strongly stated this is what we're going to do, but rather said Japan is the top priority in the talks."

And then he went on to say, we'd like to continue to make concerted government efforts to give the highest priority and full force of these conversations. So the TLDR encapsulation of these negotiations seems to be that if you're a country like Japan and South Korea, ditto for potentially, you know, Italy, which is trying to speak on behalf of the European Union.

If you're at the table, you know, in the first couple of days, you are going to be on the track towards a deal. But if you're like China, you're in a totally different bucket. So the source, Kristie, you were talking about in the intro to our segment, also telling our team in the region that Washington, D.C., needs a tone shift, according to our source who is familiar with the thinking of the government in Beijing.

They are not ruling out a summit, which is certainly newsworthy for the government in Beijing to be projecting to Washington, D.C., but they're saying that they are certainly confused when they have President Trump saying on board Air Force One or saying behind the Resolute Desk that he respects President Xi Jinping.

And then you have Vice President Vance or you have Secretary of State Marco Rubio behaving very hawkishly towards China, hawkish language.

So on that lane of negotiations and of the conversation, we see President Xi wrapping up a trip in Cambodia. He's going to meet with Cambodia's King, prime minister, president of the Senate in the next couple of hours, trying to rally more nations in Southeast Asia to his cause. You said it beautifully in the TikTok and the I.G. reel, Kristie, that you put out yesterday.

This is Xi trying to garner more friends to his cause. But these Southeast Asian neighbors, they need to be very careful because they have huge trade deals, huge trade relations with the United States on the line. So they're trying to be a good friend with Xi. But where they go in terms of trade negotiation with the United States, they have to walk a very careful tightrope, Kristie.

LU STOUT: That's right. They're in a very tight spot. And after Xi Jinping's charm offensive in Southeast Asia, all eyes on whether those talks are going to take place between China and the U.S. And as you report, China is not going to agree to talks under duress. No way.

Mike Valerio reporting for us live from Seoul once again. Thank you so much. Take care.

Now, U.S. stocks, they fell on Wednesday after a stark warning from the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, about the potential effects of President Trump's tariffs. Now, Powell said higher inflation and slower economic growth are likely to occur given the unprecedented nature of the tariffs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME POWELL, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: Inflation is likely to go up as tariffs find their way and some part of those tariffs come to be paid by the public. Tariffs are highly likely to generate at least a temporary rise in inflation. Inflationary effects could also be more persistent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now U.S. markets reflected Powell's concerns about the economy with the Dow tumbling 700 points by the end of trading on Wednesday.

Now, CNN's Richard Quest attended the New York International Auto Show to speak with experts about how tariffs will affect customers and those in the auto industry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: There are hundreds of gleaming, expensive, beautiful new cars here at the auto show. But the topic of conversation of those people visiting from the industry is, of course, about the effect of the tariffs.

MARK SCHEINBERG, PRESIDENT, NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW: There may be a situation where a manufacturer has to raise the price of the car. And what they may do is tell the consumer, this is not our profit line. This is a tariff that going on it.

But I got to tell you that the dealers are, first of all, a very optimistic group. If they're not, they're going to be on Prozac for the rest of their lives on it. But I do think that they have seen lots of different instances, whether it's COVID, whether it's computer chip shortages and somehow the industry is adjusted.

QUEST: In all of this, the big question is likely to be how many cars will be sold if the U.S. economy is slowing down towards a recession. Certainly, Jerome Powell, the chair of the Fed, made clear today he is seeing higher inflation, possibly a persistent, resistant inflation that will make the Fed's job that much more challenging.

Inflation is on its way. Car sales will suffer. Not surprisingly, everybody at the auto show has much to worry about.

Richard Quest, CNN at the New York Auto Show.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[03:10:00]

LU STOUT: Now, a U.S. senator traveled to El Salvador to visit the Maryland man thought to be wrongly deported, who is now being held in a notorious prison, but says he was not allowed to see him. Now Maryland Democrat Chris Van Hollen said he asked the Salvadoran Vice President if he could at least speak over the phone with Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia.

But his request was denied that Hollen is vowing to keep pressing for answers about Abrego Garcia's release and warned more members of Congress will be coming to El Salvador on his behalf. Now during a visit to the White House earlier this week, the Salvadoran president said that he has the power to release Abrego Garcia, but said it would be, quote, preposterous to, quote, smuggle a terrorist into the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MA): I said I'm not asking him to smuggle Mr. Abrego Garcia in the United States. I'm simply asking him to open the door of CECOT and let this innocent man walk out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Abrego Garcia's lawyers say that he has not been charged with any crimes in the U.S., nor is he a gang member. The Trump administration had admitted in court that he was mistakenly deported due to a clerical error, but now deny that and allege that he's a member of the MS-13 gang.

A U.S. district judge has ruled that there's probable cause to hold members of the Trump administration in criminal contempt. He says that they violated his order to stop the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members last month.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: The White House vowing to appeal a decision by a federal judge here in Washington, Judge James Boasberg, he said there is probable cause that exists that the administration could be held in criminal contempt. That is for failing to specifically explain the back-and-forth over immigration that led to the deportation of migrants.

This dates back to several weeks ago when Judge Boasberg ordered the government to stop the planes from flying from the U.S. to El Salvador. The administration ignored that request. They did not comply in time.

That, of course, has led to this ongoing back-and-forth of the deportation of the Maryland man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia. But in this case specifically, Judge Boasberg says that he does believe there is reason to find the administration in criminal contempt a very serious matter.

Now, the White House says it will appeal. The president, at least as of Wednesday evening, did not comment on it specifically. That is somewhat surprising because he has repeatedly called for the impeachment of this federal judge.

Now, Judge Boasberg was appointed to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush, who was elevated later to a higher position by Democratic President Barack Obama. But the White House has had this judge in its crosshairs. So this is one piece of the legal morass that is building all over the Trump administration's immigration plan.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching "CNN Newsroom" and still to come, Israeli airstrikes turn the tent encampments of displaced people in Gaza into an inferno. Details of the deadly strikes ahead.

Plus, two senior U.S. officials head to Paris trying to find common ground with Europe on ending the war in Ukraine.

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[03:15:00]

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LU STOUT: You're watching "CNN Newsroom."

Now deadly airstrikes hit some Palestinians who had been displaced because of the fighting in Gaza. Local officials say at least 15 people were killed in strikes on 10 cities in the north and south of the enclave.

And videos showed horrific scenes after the attacks, with huge fires raging in the area and emergency workers trying to put them out. Palestinian officials say several people were injured.

Now Israel says it has turned about 30 percent of Gaza into what it calls a security perimeter buffer zone. CNN has reported earlier that the buffer zone is about one kilometer wide. It is off limits to Palestinians.

Many homes and buildings have been systematically razed to the ground in those areas. And many Palestinians who tried to go there have been shot at or killed.

The United Nations says Israel has ordered some 400,000 Palestinians to evacuate since a fragile ceasefire ended last month. And according to the U.N., more than two thirds of Gaza is now either under active displacement orders or designated as no-go areas by Israel.

Defense Minister Israel Katz says the IDF will remain in security zones in any temporary or permanent situation in Gaza.

Now meanwhile, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad has released the first video of an Israeli soldier held hostage in Gaza. Rom Braslavski was likely speaking under duress and appealed to U.S. and Israeli leaders to end the war and cut a deal for his release. Braslavski's family says that he is barely recognizable and looks

sick. The move came just days after Hamas released a video of Edan Alexander, the only surviving American hostage held in Gaza. It is believed 59 hostages are still being held in Gaza.

Now, two senior American officials will be in Paris in the coming hours to discuss how the U.S. and Europe can work together to end the war in Ukraine. The visit by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff comes after Russia put a long list of conditions on U.S. proposals for a ceasefire.

[03:20:01]

Meanwhile, Russia's strikes on Ukraine have not let up, with at least 35 people killed in a missile attack in Sumy on Sunday, the deadliest so far this year.

Now earlier, I spoke with David Shimer, a senior researcher at the Columbia Institute of Global Politics, and he wrote in a recent op-ed that the U.S. military aid to Ukraine is likely to dry up. And I asked him if Europe is ready to fill the gap.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID SHIMER, SR. RESEARCH SCHOLAR, COLUMBIA INSTITUTE OF GLOBAL POLITICS: So I think as a baseline, we need to accept the realities before us, the first of which, as you said, is that the military aid packages that were authorized during the prior U.S. administration, the Biden administration, will soon run out.

Those deliveries will not last in perpetuity, and so they will cease at a not too distant future. And the new administration, the Trump administration, has not authorized any additional security assistance for Ukraine. So that's point one.

Point two is that President Putin has shown no intent to end this war, to accept calls for a ceasefire. Rather, he appears determined to continue his invasion against Ukraine, to try to press the line forward and gain more territory.

As a consequence of that, it is incumbent upon the Europeans, who have already stepped up in recent months in the absence of U.S. leadership, to further intensify their support for Ukraine. And there are concrete ways for them to do that.

The first is to dig deeper into their own military stockpiles, accept more risk, give more to Ukraine in the short term while investing more in their own defense industries to replenish their stockpiles over the longer term.

The second is to provide support financially to Ukraine's really innovative, effective domestic defense industry, which is producing cutting edge equipment and which the Europeans can support through direct financing.

The third is to try to see whether it's possible for a coalition of European countries like the U.K., like the French, to go to the Trump administration and try to actually purchase critical material such as air defense for Ukraine.

And then fourth and finally and critically, there is the question of how to pay for all of this. And in my view, the way to do that is for the Europeans to proceed with the seizure of the approximately $300 billion of Russian sovereign assets that are currently immobilized in their jurisdictions and which would enable them to be able to support Ukraine for the long term.

LU STOUT: Got it. So you've laid out very clearly what Europe needs to do next, how Europe can pay for this. But I want to ask you, how is Putin viewing this critical moment? You know, the world just witnessed that horrifying missile strike in Sumy that killed dozens of Ukrainian civilians. Does Putin see an opening here and a moment of extreme vulnerability for Ukraine to buckle and fold unless Europe moves in?

SHIMER: So I think that President Putin is biding his time. He is stalling calls for a ceasefire. He's waiting to see whether in the absence of U.S. aid, Ukrainian forces will buckle and he will be able to achieve more of his objectives than he has been to this point.

Because remember, Russia has suffered extraordinarily in this war. Ukraine has performed effectively on the battlefield.

Russia has suffered many hundreds of thousands of casualties. The Russian economy has been struggling as well. Falling oil prices will further that strain.

And so there may be a window from his perspective to actually try to shift conditions more in his favor. However, I think there is also a window for the Europeans to take decisive action to demonstrate to him that that is not the case.

And the way to do that, as I mentioned most fundamentally, is that if there were a movement to seize the $300 billion in Russian assets and so supporting Ukraine now with European dollars, but with Russian dollars effectively in order to provide that sustainable source of support for President Zelenskyy and for Ukraine through the utilization of those assets, that would fundamentally shift Russia's calculus because it would demonstrate that the Europeans have the resources to provide support not only for months, but for years.

It would strengthen President Zelenskyy's position at the negotiating table and it would reduce Ukraine's reliance on the United States, which regrettably, as we talked about, has been reducing its support for Ukraine.

And so I think that kind of a strategic move on the part of the Europeans right now could actually play a big role in shifting Putin's mindset.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And that was David Shimer speaking to me earlier. You're watching "CNN Newsroom," still to come, sounding the alarm

about the dwindling bee population. What could be causing the crisis and how the U.S. government is responding?

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[03:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Kristie Lu Stout. Let's check today's top stories.

A U.S. senator who traveled to El Salvador to see deported Maryland man Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia says the government won't let him visit the prison. Chris Van Hollen says he will keep pushing for answers. The Trump administration initially said Abrego Garcia was deported by mistake, but later claimed he was a gang member.

[03:30:08]

President Trump claims that there has been, quote, "big progress" with Japanese officials during trade talks. Now the President unexpectedly joined discussions on Wednesday on the matter. Japan is one of the countries that have approached the U.S. about talks over tariffs.

The World Trade Organization has words of caution on the trade war. It predicts that the tariff standoff will negatively affect the U.S. and other economies around the world. Now the group adjusted their trade forecast for the year, initially predicting nearly 3 percent growth, but now expecting global trade to shrink by 0.2 percent.

Now President Trump's tariffs are already affecting cheaper items made in China. Everything from Christmas decorations to hats, even a few Maga ones, are suddenly getting a lot pricier. And wholesalers say business is starting to suffer.

Marc Stewart reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's Christmas every day at this factory in eastern China.

STEWART: This is all going to the U.S.

STEWART (voice-over): But the holiday cheer has soured since the start of President Trump's trade war. Hefty tariffs have hiked the price for these decorations sold to the U.S. Now their costs will be so steep, Americans just won't buy them.

STEWART: How much money have you lost because of canceled business?

RAN HONGYAN, BUSINESS OWNER (through translator): About more than one million yuan.

STEWART (voice-over): That's about $135,000. From the factory floor to her showroom, Ran Hongyan says she's lost revenue and relationships.

STEWART: How does that make you feel?

RAN (through translator): It makes me feel sad because we have been working together for a long time, but our deals have stopped due to the tariffs.

STEWART (voice-over): At first, she offered to slash prices for her long-time customers, hoping to suck up some of costs. Now the tariffs are so high, most of her American customers canceled their orders completely.

STEWART: It's stories like this we're hearing from exporters here in Yiwu, one of the largest wholesale markets in the world. It's really ground zero in this trade war that's tearing apart the world's two largest economies.

So how long has your family had this business?

LI XINYAO, BUSINESS OWNER: It's about more than 30 years. America has always impacted the world. When they start the trade war, all the people will worry about that.

STEWART: Do you think America is acting badly?

LI: Of course, I think so.

STEWART (voice-over): Last year, vendors here sold around $11 billion worth of these items to the United States. But even before Trump 2.0, China saw this trade war coming. To beat the fear, exporters are already diversifying.

Right now, half of Nie Ziqin's business is with the U.S. She tells me she's not worried.

NIE ZIQIN, WHOLESALE VENDOR (voice-over): My next step is to transfer my U.S. sales routes to the E.U. Last year, we also began designing products we can sell to the Chinese domestic market.

STEWART (voice-over): But it's a two-way street. American consumers rely on places like this for the things they want at the price they want to pay. Including something that has become an unmistakable symbol.

STEWART: Look what we found in the middle of this market. Donald Trump's trademark hat Made in China.

STEWART (voice-over): American shoppers have long been hooked on cheap Chinese products. Giving them up might not be so easy.

Marc Stewart, CNN in Yiwu, Eastern China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, the Trump administration is demanding Harvard University turn over disciplinary records of international students or it will strip the university of its ability to enroll foreign students. The Homeland Security Secretary wrote a scathing letter demanding detailed records on the quote, "illegal and violent activities of foreign student visa holders."

Harvard reiterated that it will quote, "not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights." Now the threat is the latest effort by the White House to impose new policies on the oldest university in the United States.

The Trump administration has frozen more than $2 billion in funding and the Internal Revenue Service is working to rescind Harvard's tax exempt status. Now the White House claims the proposed policy changes are meant to combat anti-Semitism on campus after last year's contentious student protests over the war in Gaza.

Now, a third Pentagon official has been placed on administrative leave this week and made this ongoing investigation into alleged unauthorized leaks. Now, sources at the U.S. Defense Department tell CNN it's also a purge of people who had disagreements with the Pentagon chief of staff.

Natasha Bertrand has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Three senior Pentagon officials have now been placed on administrative leave pending varying investigations.

[03:35:01]

At least one of those senior officials, Dan Caldwell, who is a very senior advisor to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, has been placed on leave pending an investigation into whether he improperly disclosed information.

The other two officials, Darren Selnick, who's the deputy chief of staff at the Pentagon, and Colin Carroll, who is the chief of staff to the deputy Secretary of Defense, have also been placed on administrative leave pending investigations. But defense officials would not say anything more about the nature of those investigations.

All of this comes just weeks after the Pentagon's chief of staff, Joe Casper, issued a memo outlining the Department of Defense's plans to conduct a wide-ranging leak investigation to determine, including through the use of polygraph tests, whether any officials at the DOD were leaking information to the media.

And the reason that he did so was because of a "New York Times" report that outlined a briefing that Elon Musk was set to receive at the Pentagon about highly classified Chinese war plans. Senior DOD officials, as well as President Trump and the White House, they were very unhappy about the fact that that was leaked to the "New York Times." And so following this investigation, it seems, into unauthorized disclosures, these three senior Pentagon officials have now been caught up in this wide-ranging investigation. Now, it's unclear just how long they're going to be placed on leave

and what the ultimate results of that investigation will be. But it's worth noting that at least two of these officials that have been placed on leave, Caldwell and Selnick, are extremely close to Secretary Hegseth, have known him for well over a decade, have worked with him in the past, including at a veterans organization called Concerned Veterans for America that Pete Hegseth was the CEO of for several years.

So it is very notable that these individuals have now been escorted out of the Pentagon, and it is unclear whether they will still have a job at the end of this.

Natasha Bertrand, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: The Trump administration's push to make government more efficient has now affected AmeriCorps. This is the group that responds to disasters and help nonprofits.

Now, the young volunteers who work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, were told on Tuesday that AmeriCorps is being shut down. One program director says that the abrupt closing sparked a mixture of incredible heartbreak and outrage. AmeriCorps volunteers have served nearly 3400 disaster projects since 1999.

Now, meanwhile, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs is defending his agency's plan to lay off tens of thousands of employees. And he's pushing back against claims by some veterans and concerns from Democrats in Congress that a brand-new, state-of-the-art veterans health clinic in Virginia is empty and vastly understaffed.

Collins says the clinic would be fully equipped later this year, exactly as planned.

Now, another federal agency in the crosshairs of DOGE is the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and with that comes the risk of losing invaluable scientific research. One group that's being affected is beekeepers, who say cutbacks and layoffs couldn't come at a worse time. The bee population is declining, and funding cuts could threaten efforts to protect them.

Danielle Downey is executive director at Project Apis m., a nonprofit focused on honeybee health and supporting beekeepers. And she joins me now from Rapid City, South Dakota.

Danielle, thank you for joining us here in the program.

DANIELLE DOWNEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PROJECT APIS M.: Thank you.

LU STOUT: Now, first, tell us, what do bees do for us? You know, we know that they play a role in pollination and crops, but how big a role do they play in food production?

DOWNEY: Well, it's hard to overstate the role that bees play. Every year, about two million colonies of honeybees are moved on 18 wheelers to put down on crops that need pollination.

So almonds, for example, require over two million colonies of honeybees, or you don't get an almond crop. So it's a very important part of our food supply.

LU STOUT: Bees do a lot of heavy lifting in our food supply and food production. Can the work that they do be replicated by humans or drones?

DOWNEY: No, and I think that's one of the most alarming things about these losses is that they're sudden and high. We don't know what caused them.

And if bees fail and if the businesses that provide these pollinators fail, there's really no backup plan. The agriculture system is on such a scale that there's not a natural pollinator that could do that job.

LU STOUT: Yes, so much at stake here. You have an entire industry, food industry, food itself, if bees are lost, and bees right now are significantly declining in numbers. Millions have died so far this year. Why is this -- what is happening here?

[03:39:58]

DOWNEY: We don't know. We are still waiting for answers. There are samples that are being analyzed right now, and we're really hoping that our partners at the USDA will be able to share with us what they're seeing.

Unfortunately, the trend is clear. So this year's losses are extreme, but over many years, the losses of bee colonies has been going up and up, and the major threats to those colonies remain unchecked.

LU STOUT: You call this year's losses extreme. Danielle, have you ever seen losses like this before? And when you talk to beekeepers, what are they telling you?

DOWNEY: Well, these are the worst losses in recorded history. Since colony collapse disorder, we've been taking really good records of the losses, and this year is much more than we've ever seen before.

LU STOUT: So this is turning into a crisis, and as you laid out at the top, a food security issue. So what is the worst case scenario here? What would happen if bees, heaven forbid, go extinct?

DOWNEY: Well, honeybees are not in danger of going extinct. They're very resilient, and that's why we can manage them and move them around on trucks. But the real danger is that if these businesses fail that provide pollination on these trucks, you can imagine it's a very specialized, multi-generational farming that's nomadic and moving these bees to where they're needed.

And there's probably a thousand businesses, approximately, that provide this. And with them losing 60, 70, 80 percent of their business and having to rebuild without knowing what caused it, you can imagine that's a pretty perilous situation for these businesses. LU STOUT: Yes, the beekeeping industry is risking losing up to 80

percent of their business. You got our attention here. I want to help, our viewers want to help.

What can we do to help, you know, shore up not just bee populations, but the industry that supports them?

DOWNEY: Well, we need all hands on deck. We need more research to understand the problems.

We know what's killing bees. It's things like pesticides and parasites and viruses, and we need more habitat.

There's just fewer flowers on the landscape to support bees naturally. And so every year there's less honey. Every year there's higher losses.

These are really unsung heroes in our food supply. And if we lose them, we'll lose some of our favorite foods. It'll be less available and more expensive.

And there's already a lot of reasons that food is going to get more expensive. So we really need to start caring about healthy bees and reinvesting in the landscape that will support them.

LU STOUT: Absolutely. Danielle Downey, thank you for joining us.

DOWNEY: Thank you.

LU STOUT: You're watching "CNN Newsroom." And up next, Puerto Rico is experiencing an island-wide blackout. And when we come back, the massive power outage that has hit the largely Catholic U.S. territory just days before Easter weekend.

Plus, a French-American tourist went from kite surfing in Colombia to a Venezuelan jail. And his family says he hasn't been heard from in months.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER QUINONES, PUERTO RICAN RESIDENT HIT BY BLACKOUT (through translator): What's happening is a general blackout, which is outrageous because we pay for electricity, which I would say is among the most expensive in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Outrage in Puerto Rico as residents are plunged into an island-wide blackout. The widespread power outage happened on Wednesday, just as the largely Catholic island was about to celebrate the Easter weekend.

Officials say all 1.4 million homes and businesses on the grid are without electricity, and many people have no running water. It is unclear what caused the shutdown.

And officials say the lights may not be back on for another few days. This is the latest in a string of major blackouts on the island in recent years.

Now, what was meant to be a kite-surfing vacation in Colombia has become a living nightmare for a French-American tourist. His family says that he's been detained in Venezuela for more than three months, taken by Venezuelan troops before he ever set foot in the country.

And as Isa Soares reports, his family has barely heard from him since.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is how Sophie Hunter found out her brother had been arrested.

LUCAS HUNTER, DETAINED IN VENEZUELA (translated): I don't want to freak you out. I was caught by the Venezuelans and four hours have passed.

SOARES (voice-over): With a voice message, a location pin, placing him on Venezuelan soil.

Her 37-year-old brother, French-American Lucas Hunter, had been travelling around northern Colombia to kite surf along the coast, sending Sophie regular updates about the places he was visiting.

But on January 7th, he told her something different.

SOPHIE HUNTER, LUCAS HUNTER'S SISTER: I was running my scooter, I got a bit lost, I came close to a border checkpoint, I resist, and I go grabbed, that's the word he used by Venezuelan military forces. They took me across the border.

SOARES (voice-over): They continued to text for the next 24 hours. But then, the messages stopped.

S. HUNTER: Since the 8th of January, 1 p.m. local time, we haven't heard from him. We have no idea where he is. The governments have no idea.

[03:50:02]

SOARES: Venezuelan authorities haven't responded to our requests for information. For now, it is unclear where Hunter is being held. But the last group of Americans to be released from Venezuela were held here at this high-security prison on the outskirts of Caracas called Rodeo Uno.

Activists say that this is the prison where those who challenge the government are held, but also dozens of foreigners. SOARES (voice-over): Until January, David Estrella was one of those

Americans, accused by the government of wanting to bring down Maduro. He says he was just a tourist. Inside, he says he was tortured and made to feel insignificant.

DAVID ESTRELLA, FORMER PRISONER IN VENEZUELA: They say many times, they say we can disappear you, eliminate you. You don't exist in this country. They were right, they didn't exist there so, like they say, they can make a hole underground and shoot you and disappear, and nobody knows.

SOARES (voice-over): Venezuela denies any allegations of torture, but Estrella was only released on January 31st, after President Donald Trump sent Special Envoy Richard Reynolds to negotiate directly with Maduro, the first U.S. official to do so in years.

Five other Americans went home with Estrella, but Hunter wasn't among them.

S. HUNTER: Obviously, I was a bit sad. However, I was very happy that some of the Americans got out, because for me that meant maybe we can understand more about the conditions.

SOARES (voice-over): The State Department says Hunter is unjustly detained and continues to seek the release of all Americans, 10 in total, arrested by the regime in Venezuela.

Months after he was supposed to come home, Lucas' flat in Paris now bears the marks of his absence. His family have kept his things intact, certain he'll be back.

S. HUNTER: He's, you know, strong and everything. I also know that he has a soft side inside, and that's why I'm a bit worried for his mental health, for his asthma, and how he can keep his spirit up.

SOARES (voice-over): Isa Soares, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now police in South Africa say an American preacher is, quote, "miraculously unharmed" after they rescued him in a gun battle with his kidnappers. Gunmen grabbed 45-year-old Josh Sullivan during an evening service last Thursday in South Africa's Eastern Cape province, and police were tipped off about his abductor's location in a nearby township and launched a rescue mission. As officers approached, suspects inside a vehicle tried to flee and opened fire, leading to a shootout with police.

Well South African authorities report kidnappings are at a record high, with an average of 51 abductions every day in 2024. The country's murder rate is among the highest in the world.

You're watching "CNN Newsroom." We'll be back right after this.

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[03:55:00]

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LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, scientists studying the deep sea, they say that they are very excited after finally catching the elusive colossal squid on camera in its natural environment for the first time. And it's not the only creature they've managed to find underwater.

CNN's Shama Nasinde has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. AARON EVANS, GLASS SQUID EXPERT: I started hyperventilating. I teared up. We have never seen this animal in the wild before.

SHAMA NASINDE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): We've known about the colossal squid for a century, but this is our first confirmed footage of the mysterious creature in its native habitat.

EVANS: We could think of this maybe as a teenager squid. It's not quite an adult. It hasn't fully matured yet, it's still got a lot of growing to do.

NASINDE (voice-over): The colossal squid will grow up to an estimated 23 feet long, weighing as much as half a ton, the largest squid species on Earth. And it's not the only underwater animal the team of explorers and scientists working with the Schmidt Ocean Institute found during its last two voyages to study the deeps near Antarctica.

THOM LINLEY, EXPEDITION MEMBER, MUSEUM OF NEW ZEALAND TE PAPA TONGAREWA: This is Galiteuthis glacialis. This is the first time it has been seen alive. And again, it reiterates that a lot of the deep sea animals are actually really fragile and really beautiful.

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LU STOUT: Wow, a significant and stunning discovery.

Now, separately, in what could be a landmark discovery, scientists have found what they say is the strongest evidence yet of possible life beyond Earth.

Now using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers detected two gases, which here on Earth are only produced biologically by things like algae. Now they say the possible biosignature came from a large exoplanet about 124 light years from Earth in the constellation Leo. The study's lead author calls it a transformational moment.

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NIKKU MADHUSUDHAN, ASTROPHYSICIST, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE INSTITUTE OF ASTRONOMY: Not only that there is a chance that the planet can actually be habitable, but what we are finding is that we are demonstrating that it is possible to detect biosignatures around in atmospheres of such planets around nearby stars with existing facilities, and that's a big breakthrough.

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LU STOUT: Now while the findings are indeed promising, scientists are not saying that actual living organisms have been found. They stress more research is needed.

Now, thank you for joining us. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. Go have a wonderful day, I mean it.

"The Amanpour Hour" is next, and then come back -- stay tuned for "Early Start" with Rahel Solomon starting 5 a.m. in New York, 10 a.m. in London. Keep it here.

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