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Police: Two Dead, Five Others Shot at Florida State University; China Doesn't Share Trump's Optimism about a Pending Trade Deal; Trump Lashes Out after Fed Chair Criticizes Tariffs; France Touts 'Excellent' U.S.-Europe Talks on Ukraine; Growing Number of Israeli Reservists Call for End to Conflict. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired April 18, 2025 - 00:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The son of a sheriff's deputy is the latest alleged killer on campus in the U.S. Ahead this hour on CNN NEWSROOM.

[00:00:24]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CELESTE HALAVIN, FSU STUDENT: Cops running, students running. It was just like complete chaos.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The alleged gunman shot by police but still alive. And according to investigators, his handgun belonged to his mother.

You could almost set your watch by the timing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: If I want him out, he'll be out of there real fast. Believe me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Cue the outrage and insults, one day after the chair of the Federal Reserve warned Trump's tariffs will harm the U.S. economy.

And growing dissent within the ranks of Israel's military.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. OR GOREN, ISRAELI RESERVIST: Gaza is demolished, but Hamas still rules the place. So where are we heading?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Reservists, fighter pilots, former spies, and others all calling for an end to what they say is a politicized war in Gaza. ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: The latest mass shooting on a school campus in the U.S. has left two people dead, five others wounded, and the son of a local sheriff's deputy in hospital and accused of being the shooter. He's also a student at Florida State University, where police allege just before midday he opened fire with his mother's handgun.

The 20-year-old was shot by police after refusing to comply with their demands. His injuries are described as serious but not life- threatening.

And a warning: the images we're about to play may be disturbing for some viewers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(GUNFIRE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Staff and students were sent running for cover amid panic as the gunman began shooting, triggering a campus-wide lockdown. Here's how some witnesses described the moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALAVIN: We saw cops running, students running. It was just like complete chaos. Everyone was like running all over the place. And then we saw, like, a gurney and then like the gurney came back, and the guy had his arm cut off.

CHRIS PENTO, WITNESS ON CAMPUS TOUR: We went downstairs, and shots started ringing out. And people just started running.

She got trampled over.

MCKENZIE HEETER, FSU STUDENT: She turned towards the union, and that's when I saw him shoot a woman in purple scrubs in the back. In her back. And I just started running.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: After the shooting spree, investigators found three guns on campus, and they believe the gunman, though, acted alone.

This is the sixth mass shooting this year in just the state of Florida. And right now, why -- as in, why did this happen -- remains a mystery.

CNN's Nick Valencia has our report from Tallahassee in Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A heartbreaking tragedy on the

campus of FSU here in Tallahassee that has shattered the safety and security of so many here on campus. And a big question remains here is the motive of this alleged gunman.

VALENCIA (voice-over): And authorities are asking themselves that question. They say that the gunman has invoked his Fifth Amendment right and is not cooperating with investigators.

But at a press conference earlier, here are the details that they gave. They say the alleged gunman came on campus here through --

VALENCIA: -- this entrance just behind me. And, at about 11:50 on Thursday, opened fire.

The witnesses that we spoke to said they heard sporadic gunfire in rapid succession. And one of those witnesses is the chaplain at the church here, just off-camera. It was a church that ended up being a shelter for hundreds of students as they rushed to safety. And it was that chaplain who said he saw the look of fear on those students that he had never seen before.

FATHER LUKE FARABAUGH, WITNESS: People were coming with faces of terror, and it was fear that I had not seen before. And it was very -- I mean, it really shakes you up.

And so, as they were coming in, we secured the building. And we only had one entrance available, so we could see who's coming in. And I was personally concerned about stray bullets, because I knew that it was coming from very close by. But we were able to help people, and there was a lot of shock.

VALENCIA (voice-over): While investigators say the threat to the community is over, as of Thursday night, it was still somewhat of an active scene.

We spotted investigators on the scene --

VALENCIA: -- a biologics team still cleaning up the aftermath of that incident, and a shoe that was just sort of left at random on the sidewalk of the campus. An eerie symbol of what went down -- what went down here on Thursday morning.

That Catholic church I mentioned --

VALENCIA (voice-over): -- had a mass, as well, on Thursday, where hundreds of people showed up. No -- standing room only. There was no room in any of those pews. And they covered those victims in prayer.

VALENCIA: Not much is known about the victims, only that the two that were killed were not students at FSU. And as of Thursday night, those injured were listed in stable condition.

Nick Valencia, CNN, Tallahassee, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE) [00:05:02]

VAUSE: An upbeat and optimistic sounding U.S. president says direct talks with China over tariffs are now underway, raising hopes of a possible breakthrough in a trade war which continues to rattle financial markets worldwide.

But President Trump refused to say if he'd spoken personally to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think we're going to make a deal with China. We're going to make a deal with everybody. And if we don't make a deal, we'll just set a target, and we'll -- that will live with that, and it'll be fine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How much time? How much time does it take?

TRUMP: I would -- I would think over the next three or four weeks, I think maybe the whole thing could be concluded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The president also met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House and had this prediction about negotiations with the European Union.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Oh, there will be a trade deal, 100 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President --

TRUMP: Why, do you think there won't be? Of course there will be a trade deal. Very much. They want to make one very, very much. And we're going to make a trade deal. I fully expect it, but it will be a fair deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Let's go live now to Seoul. CNN's Mike Valerio standing by.

So, you know, it's amazing how things just change from day to day, hour to hour. So, this optimism now from Donald Trump that there will be these trade deals, and they'll be done fairly quickly, three to four weeks.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: OK. So, there's optimism, John, at least from Washington, D.C. But a little bit of a reality check from this side of the globe. That isn't shared by Beijing.

And, in fact, what we heard from the president in that soundbite, where he expresses optimism, you know, you don't hear that same kind of rhetoric, that same kind of sentiment from J.D. Vance, the vice president, for example, calling in that now-infamous FOX News interview, people in China "Chinese peasants," from whom the United States borrows billions of dollars and then buys manufactured goods from those same, quote unquote, "Chinese peasants."

So, what we want to convey here on this side of the globe is that that is one of the problems, the huge obstacles that China has, according to our new reporting from our team in the region.

According to a person who is familiar with Beijing's thinking, they're saying that high-level trade talks have not started, because you hear things like that from President Trump from behind the Resolute Desk. But you don't hear Marco Rubio or Vice President Vance conveying that same kind of rhetoric.

They find those high-level officials to be too hawkish.

So, you know, if our viewers from the United States and around the world are thinking, OK, well, we hear this from President Trump. Is Beijing mirroring those comments? The answer right now, afternoon in East Asia, is no, we are not there yet.

So, when we're moving on to Japan and where we are in South Korea, we're going to be watching over the next couple of days as we head into the weekend and then begin a new week. What are negotiations going to look like with South Korea?

The -- the administration is pretty keen on trying to get a trade deal done with both Japan and South Korea, U.S. allies, to show that it is actually making moves. And, rather than just engaging in a trade war, that it is actually able to garner results and to make a deal within a few weeks with these key -- with these key U.S. allies.

So, wrapping up here, what we're going to be looking for is to see whether the tariff comes down on a nation specifically like South Korea and what South Korea gives in return.

Like, we'll have a lower tariff in return for a nation like South Korea helping out the United States with shipbuilding, becoming a new liquefied natural gas customer for this big old pipeline that President Trump mentioned in the joint address to Congress in the beginning of March.

So, we're going to be seeing what are the exact contours of these deals looking like as, again, negotiations with China, President Trump says one thing, but the conversations remain elusive, at least from our reporting here in the region -- John.

VAUSE: Mike, thank you. Mike Valerio there in Seoul with the update. Appreciate it.

VALERIO: No problem.

VAUSE: Well, financial markets have also been spooked after the U.S. president lashed out at the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell. Trump made it clear he wants Powell gone as head of the central bank.

That's after Powell warned on Wednesday there would be higher inflation and unemployment from Trump's tariffs.

Trump is also angry with Powell for not cutting interest rates fast enough, as the U.S. lags behind Europe.

Reporters asked about the criticism during the Oval Office meeting with Italian -- with Italy's prime minister. The president says Powell is playing politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Oh, he'll leave if I ask him to. He'll be out of there. But I don't think he's --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe Jerome Powell will (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

TRUMP: I don't think he -- I don't think he's doing the job. He's too late. Always too late. A little slow, and I'm not happy with him. I let him know it. And, oh, if I want him out, he'll be out of there real fast. Believe me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: We go to Los Angeles now, and Ron Brownstein, CNN's senior political analyst. It's good to see you.

[00:10:06]

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, John.

VAUSE: This was entirely predictable. So, a day after the Fed chair warned of the negative impact from Donald Trump's tariffs, cue the outrage and the insults. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The Fed really owes it to the American people to get interest rates down.

They're not very smart people. We have a Federal Reserve chairman that is playing politics. Somebody that I've never been very fond of, actually.

Our guy wants to play cute. I think he's terrible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The pattern here is now obvious, be it the Fed chair, judges, inspectors general, heads of independent agencies, the list goes on. The president is intent on reining in their independence and their authority, and that, in turn, increases the power of the presidency. And that will have consequences long after Trump leaves office. BROWNSTEIN: Yes. I mean, look, what we're watching, I think, is a --

attempt to reorder the American constitutional system and drive big holes in it that exceeds, in many ways, even the worst expectations of people who were worried about what Trump would mean for democracy.

I mean, both inside the government and outside the government, in civil society, he is systematically moving in a way that I think has been planned over the last four years, probably mostly by Stephen Miller and Russell Vought, to disable all the potential sources of resistance to kind of, you know, untrammeled presidential power.

And as many people who have studied these issues around the world have pointed out, this is the playbook of, you know, figures who try to transform societies from democracies into authoritarian states. You just -- you eliminate the sources of resistance. You weaken all the independent power centers, and then you move forward to impose your designs on the entire society.

VAUSE: And last week, after announcing the reciprocal tariffs on almost all U.S. trading partners, but before the 90-day pause, the president seemed almost giddy with delight, being at the center of the universe. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm telling you, these countries are calling us up, kissing my ass. They are. They are dying to make a deal. Please, please, sir, make a deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Be it world leaders or corporate executives, if they want any relief from tariffs, the power is with the president. They have to go to him. He clearly enjoys that authority.

But the power was technically taken from Congress.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

VAUSE: Even though Congress has sort of deferred that to presidents over the years, it's still a violation of the Constitution. And like all these other violations, it's happening because the Republican-led House is allowing it.

So, does that mean the courts are now left as the only real check on this president's authority?

BROWNSTEIN: First of all, I mean, this is really becoming kind of a shake-down society. I mean, that's what he's kind of building, whether it's domestically or internationally. You -- you essentially threaten your target with the full power of the federal government, unless they do what you want.

And we saw, you know, a lot of institutions bending to that initially. Law firms, universities to some extent, foreign countries. I think you are certainly seeing more resistance now. I think the --

the lawsuits brought by certain law firms against what he's demanded; Harvard saying no and inevitably going to court. China pushing back.

I think it's going to be harder going forward for people to capitulate, because it just looks so craven. You know, once you start to see others stand up.

But, you know, the courts alone are probably not going to be enough. Lower courts are dealing a lot of defeats to Trump. And we saw a really ringing decision from a Reagan-appointed judge on the Fourth Circuit Court of appeals today about their -- the administration's threat to the rule of law in the case of the man who's been, you know, by their own admission, mistakenly deported to El Salvador.

But, you know, this is a Republican-dominated Supreme Court that may not stop him as often as people wish. And ultimately, it's going to require kind of more organized resistance, whether that's street protests or universities banding together to say no, than we've seen so far to prevent Trump from transforming the society to the extent that he seems determined to do.

VAUSE: And with regard to -- to that Maryland man who is now in El Salvador in that prison, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, he --

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

VAUSE: This is -- the administration has argued it has the authority to deport migrants without due process. And the White House says it's -- it's powerless now to actually bring him back, because that's an authority which is left up to Venezuela.

You know, so we now have the president talking about deportation as an option for U.S. citizens who may have broken the law.

How close is this country to a scenario where anyone could actually be taken from their homes, put on a plane forcibly, and then sent to El Salvador and wind up in a prison? And even though you may have done absolutely nothing wrong, the president says, sorry, it's now out of our hands. Can't do anything.

BROWNSTEIN: Well -- well, look, I mean, today, Judge Harvey Wilkinson, appointed by Ronald Reagan, you know, who's been on the bench for four decades on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, basically warned that is exactly the scenario that is, you know, kind of looming out there; that, you know, today, you basically say you can deport people who are not citizens without due process. And tomorrow, you might say that you could.

[00:15:21]

If the Supreme Court does not want the U.S. to be living in that world, they need to say so more explicitly than they did in their initial ruling on this, when they, you know, said that people should be given habeas corpus before -- you know, a hearing before they are removed, but had all sorts of kind of mild and weaselly language about they need to facilitate it, but not effectuate it.

You saw how Trump -- you know, we saw this in his first term. I mean, Trump responds to one thing, force, you know, a force that is powerful enough to deny him what he wants. That's certainly the lesson China took from his first term.

And if John Roberts wants to be anything but ignored and kind of mocked in the way that, you know, Trump and the El Salvador dictator did earlier this week, he needs to draw some lines and say so in much more explicit language than he did in this initial decision.

I mean, there's a message here for the court. Some people have argued that Judge Wilkinson was writing for the court, basically telling them, look, guys, if this is what you believe, and I think it is what you do, you need to send Trump a much clearer message than you did the first time.

VAUSE: Yes. Ron, thank you, Ron Brownstein there in Los Angeles. Appreciate it. Thanks, Ron.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

VAUSE: Well, a day after the government in El Salvador denied the U.S. Senator Chris van Hollen access to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, on Thursday, they did actually meet.

Senator Chris van Hollen said the meeting came after he was denied entry to the maximum-security prison, where Garcia has been since March.

U.S. and European officials try to find common ground in a moment, after the break, on a potential ceasefire in Ukraine. High-profile meeting in Paris as the White House waits for word from Moscow about ceasefire plans.

Also ahead, Houthi rebels vowing to hold Washington responsible after a deadly U.S. airstrike in Yemen. More on that in a moment.

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[00:21:38]

VAUSE: The U.S. military hit an oil port in Western Yemen Thursday. Houthi officials say at least 20 people were killed, 50 others injured, and warned the U.S. will be held responsible for the repercussions of its escalation.

The strikes are the latest move in a months-long effort to disrupt Houthi weapons smuggling and revenue streams.

Houthi rebels have repeatedly attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

The United States and Ukraine moving ahead with their deal on critical minerals, on Thursday, signing a memorandum of intent, a step closer to a full agreement which, according to the U.S. president, could be signed as early as next week.

Trump also says he'll hear from the Kremlin this week about his proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. Ukraine is fully on board with that proposal, but Moscow has issued a long list of conditions, leading to accusations that Russia is trying to delay any agreement.

Meanwhile, U.S. and European officials held high-level talks in Paris on Thursday, which French officials described as excellent. CNN's Nic Robertson has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: So, these were important meetings, big meetings, because it was the first time since February senior U.S. officials, senior European officials, leaders even, had met to discuss the ceasefire arrangements --

ROBERTSON (voice-over): -- that the United States has been calling for, President Trump has been calling for, since February.

Of course, Ukraine has already signed up a long time ago now, it feels, to this unconditional ceasefire. The pressure has been on President Putin.

And it was the U.S. envoy, Steve Witkoff, who's been meeting face-to- face with President Putin. And the sense has been in Europe that Witkoff is being spun and played by Putin, that Putin isn't serious about getting into a ceasefire right now.

So Witkoff; Marco Rubio, secretary of state, meeting with Emmanuel Macron, the French president; the French foreign minister. That was the first sort of big meeting, a lunch, a working lunch, for the day.

But then there were lots of other meetings. Rubio, Witkoff meeting with European counterparts: British, French, German foreign ministers.

Also, those countries --

ROBERTSON: -- had their national security advisers or equivalents in the room. And as well at these meetings, you had the Ukrainian defense minister and the Ukrainian foreign minister.

So, a lot of conversations, not a lot of detail coming out. But a French official --

ROBERTSON (voice-over): -- has described the meetings in this way, saying they were very strong strategic opportunity, and actually goes on in quite effusive language to say this: "There was an excellent exchange, a high-quality exchange, a substantive exchange that allowed us to converge on the essential goals for -- which for us is a solid peace for Ukraine, which means a solid peace for Ukraine and for the Europeans."

So, the French playing this as a meeting that was successful, but we don't know who convinced which side of what. We know clearly that Emmanuel Macron is someone who knows President

Putin very well, and he may well have sat there and have listened to Steve Witkoff explaining the conversations he's had with President Putin.

But Emmanuel Macron is the sort of leader who would want to give his input back to the U.S. side.

[00:25:04]

ROBERTSON: So, the exchanges, the details unclear, but the narrative emerging is that this moves in the right direction. Quite how and at what speed, it is absolutely unclear.

What has been very clear: some of those national security advisers in those meetings with the U.S. officials very firmly believe that Putin absolute -- absolutely not committed to getting into a ceasefire; believes, in fact, that he can still win on the battlefield. That's what we've been hearing over recent weeks.

So, again, the substance of those meetings, not clear. But the French playing it, you know, as a success, moving the ball in the right direction. Again, how much? Unclear.

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Still ahead here on CNN, the Israeli reservists demanding the Israeli government end the war in Gaza.

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[00:30:43]

VAUSE: An Israeli proposal for a Gaza ceasefire has been fully rejected by Hamas, which wants a comprehensive proposal to end the war.

Hamas's outright rejection of the ceasefire has prompted calls by Israel's far right to escalate the war, urging the prime minister to unleash hell.

The Israeli proposal called for a 45-day truce for both sides to negotiate a permanent ceasefire, and Hamas would be required to release all remaining hostages in stages.

But there was no guarantee of an end to the war.

And there is frustration and dissent growing among those serving on the front lines of Israel's war in Gaza. A growing number of Israeli reservists are publicly condemning Israel -- the Israeli prime minister's decision to resume fighting in the territory.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Thank you so much.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Doctor Or Goren spent months deploying to Gaza as a combat physician in the Israeli military, treating and evacuating wounded soldiers.

Now he's part of a growing number of reservists who believe the war is no longer serving its stated goals: destroying Hamas and returning the hostages.

GOREN: No, I don't believe it anymore. And it's a year and a half. The -- Gaza is demolished. Hundreds, tens of thousands of people killed. The houses there are destructed, the infrastructure is -- is destructed. But Hamas still rules the place, still shoots rockets. And so, where are we heading?

DIAMOND (voice-over): Goren is one of thousands of reservists who have signed public letters calling on the Israeli government to end the war and strike a hostage deal.

The first letter, from air force reservists and retirees, quickly spawned others: from reserve combat physicians and paratroopers, to sailors and military intelligence officers, all echoing this message: "At this time, the war mainly serves political and personal interests and not security interests. The continuation of the war will lead to the death of abductees, IDF soldiers, and innocent civilians, and to the attrition of reservists."

The Israeli military, which heavily depends on reservists to bolster its regular forces, moving swiftly to quash the dissent, firing dozens of reservists who signed the letters.

The Israeli prime minister slamming the signatories as a small group of bad apples, accusing them of refusing to serve for political reasons.

GOREN: The pilots' letter did not say they will stop serving. There was nothing illegal about it. We are the backbone of -- of -- of this society. How can you silence us?

DIAMOND (voice-over): The outrage in Israel is mounting. Seven in 10 Israelis say they want a deal to end the war and get the hostages out, according to Israel's Channel 12.

And now, between rising political opposition and the burden of multiple tours on reservists and their families, as many as 40 percent of reservists no longer showing up when called to duty.

Even among those who support the war, like Maytal Bernstein Hadari (ph), 18 months of war is taking its toll. Her husband has spent more than 300 days deployed, forcing her to scale back her speech therapy practice as she raises her four kids.

"During this latest fifth deployment, my entire body hurt," she says. "For 300 days, he wasn't home; and I needed to carry on my small shoulders what we usually hold together."

But while others say enough is enough, Maytal (ph) wants Israel to keep fighting.

"The limit," she says, "is when we win."

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: As millions of Christians prepare to celebrate Easter, Pope Francis marked Holy Thursday with a visit to prison. The latest public appearance from a recovering pontiff.

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[00:39:14]

VAUSE: Google has lost another antitrust lawsuit brought by the U.S. Justice Department, the second in less than 12 months.

That's after a federal judge ruled the giant search engine violated antitrust laws with a monopoly over online advertising.

This ruling could reshape Google, with the company ordered to sell off parts of the business. So, too, parent company Alphabet.

Google is now facing sweeping penalties; has vowed to appeal, but that process could take years to play out.

Today, Christians around the world are observing Good Friday. The Vatican will mark the day with their annual celebration, but Pope Francis is not expected to be there.

The pontiff did make a surprise appearance at a prison on Thursday. The 88-year-old is recovering after five weeks in hospital battling double pneumonia.

When asked about his current condition, Pope Francis gave little away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Your Holiness, how are you?

POPE FRANCIS, LEADER OF ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): I feel seated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): How are you doing this Easter after your hospitalization?

POPE FRANCIS (through translator): How can I? I live it how I can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The Holy Father was greeted with applause at the prison. He offered well-wishes to the inmates ahead of Easter. Francis has visited prisons regularly during his papacy, especially on

Holy Thursday.

I'm John Vause. Thank you for watching. I'll be back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM, but please stay with us. WORLD SPORT starts after a short break.

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