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Putin Declares Brief Easter Truce With Ukraine; Supreme Court Temporarily Pauses Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act; Nearly 40M People From Texas To Ohio Under Threat Of Severe Weather; Two Father Killed During Florida State Attack Identified; U.S. And Iran Wrap Second Round Of Critical Nuclear Talks In Rome; Dem Senator Meets With Abrego Garcia In El Salvador; Scientists Detect Signs Of Life On Distant Planet, Study Suggests. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired April 19, 2025 - 12:00   ET

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

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN HOST: That is a great epitaph.

And that is all we have time for. Don't forget, you can find all our shows online as podcasts at CNN.com/audio, and on all other major platforms.

I'm Christiane Amanpour in London, thank you for watching. And I'll see you again next week.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with this breaking news, Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has declared an Easter truce in the conflict with Ukraine. It went into effect about an hour ago, and goes until tomorrow evening. The declaration comes just a day after President Trump said he wanted to see a peace deal done quickly.

CNN's Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Matthew Chance is in Moscow for us. Matthew, what is Putin saying about what brought on this truce?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, I mean, he's linking it to the Easter celebrations that are taking place now across not just the Orthodox world, but the Christian world as well. And he's saying that, you know, from about an hour ago, so 6:00 local Moscow time, until tomorrow night, midnight, there will be a cessation of hostilities, a ceasefire. And he says that he hopes that the Ukrainians will follow suit.

Now, clearly, this comes as President Trump has expressed his frustration with the diplomatic process that he's been behind in trying to get the two sides together, or the two sides rather, to agree a ceasefire. And so it could well be timed by the Kremlin to ease some of the criticism that has been made against it by its critics that it's been foot dragging and things like that.

But, of course, it is just a two-day, actually a less than a two-day ceasefire. And so it falls well short of the 30 days that President Trump had demanded and which, of course, Ukraine has in principle accepted. So that's one issue.

I guess the other couple of issues are, you know, look, you know, it's one thing saying these things, calling a ceasefire. But will it actually be implemented on the ground? Certainly that past agreements, including an agreement recently not to target each other's energy infrastructure facilities on the ground in Ukraine, both countries accused the other side of violating that agreement repeatedly.

And so the question of implementation is a key one about whether this ceasefire, even if it's just for, you know, 48 hours or less, will actually go into force and whether it have any practical results on the ground. But, I mean, I guess the bigger question is, yes, it's only for less than two days, but can it be extended?

You know, is this the beginning of the end of the Ukraine war, I suppose, is the question in the minds of many people around the world watching this. It's way too early to say that yet, of course. But, you know, it is something at least potentially that could, you know, lead to something much bigger.

WHITFIELD: All right, Matthew Chance in Moscow, thanks so much.

Let's continue the conversation with William Taylor. He is a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council. Great to see you, Ambassador.

So, do you see this as an Easter only situation or that perhaps Trump's expressed frustration with trying to reach a peace deal is influential, and that's why we're at this now two-day truce?

WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Well, you're right, Fredricka. And President Trump's right to be frustrated. And the focus of his frustration should be President Putin. And apparently, President Putin understands that because of this proposal that he's made.

But this is a very interesting revelation that President Putin could stop this war any time he wants. And as Matthew just pointed out, President Zelenskyy and President Trump have agreed on a broader 30- day ceasefire across the board that President Putin turned down two weeks ago. He said no. So, yes, this could be -- President Putin has the ability to stop this war and he's demonstrated that he could do that.

WHITFIELD: All right. So he's demonstrated he can do that. So what might allow inspire Putin to extend beyond two days and maybe come closer to 30 days or even more?

[12:05:04]

TAYLOR: If it is clear to him, President Putin, that he cannot win this war because the Ukrainians are strong enough and resilient enough and determined enough to continue to fight. And if the Europeans stand up and if the Americans demonstrate that they're going to support Ukraine, then Putin could come to the conclusion he can't win.

Take advantage of this 30-day. Take advantage of the possibility of a ceasefire going in even longer than that.

WHITFIELD: And then flip side to that, might this also be a stunt on Putin's part? A ploy?

TAYLOR: Absolutely. And as Matthew also pointed out correctly, there have been anywhere from 17 to 28 ceasefires between the Russians and the Ukrainians that the Russians have violated since 2014 when they first invaded.

So, yes, there is no reason to believe that this time the Russians will abide by it. But if they're willing to stop the fighting, it can be -- it can lead to the ceasefire and then to a broader settlement.

WHITFIELD: You've said recently that the best path for a peace deal requires pressure on Vladimir Putin. Is it your view that more pressure can be applied by the U.S.? And if so, by what means?

TAYLOR: A couple of means. Again, if we demonstrate that we are going to support the Ukrainians to bring Putin to the table in terms of the weapons that they need, in terms of the funds that they need, Fredricka, you all reported that there's $300 billion worth of funds, of Russian funds in Western banks that the Ukrainians could use to buy the weapons that they need.

If those kind of steps are taken to demonstrate to Putin he's not going to win, then he could extend this ceasefire indefinitely.

WHITFIELD: And, of course, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week, raising a whole lot of eyebrows, right, that the U.S. was ready to move on from talks if there wasn't a sign or more signs of progress. So how is that being interpreted by Putin and Ukraine's Zelenskyy?

TAYLOR: Well, I think you've indicated that President Putin heard that and he also has heard the criticisms from a lot of people. He's dragging his feet. Even in Russia, he's -- it's recognized that he's kind of stalling on this. And so it's clearly had an effect.

President Trump has said the same thing. President -- the Secretary of State Rubio has said that they're irritated and want to go forward. The problem is the Russians. And it sounds like this is a demonstration that he has gotten that he wants to take steps.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ambassador Taylor, great to see you. Thanks so much.

TAYLOR: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. And now to this breaking news, a major setback in President Trump's immigration crackdown. The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily pausing deportations of migrants potentially targeted under the Alien Enemies Act.

Attorneys made an emergency appeal to the high court on Friday on behalf of a group of Venezuelan immigrants in Texas who say the Trump administration was working to remove them without sufficient notice to challenge their deportations. The Supreme Court's 7 to 2 ruling coming down just after midnight with only Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissenting.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is live for us in Washington. Julia, what more can you tell us?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the use this order temporarily freezes action on what has been a fast developing case here, Fredricka. And that order issued overnight, it temporarily pauses the deportations of a group of immigrants in Texas who said that the Trump administration was working to remove them.

Attorneys for the Venezuelan migrants in this case said that their clients were at risk of being deported and removed from the United States quickly. And they've not been given sufficient notice to challenge those deportations.

We're going to pull up that order for you now so that you can see some of the details. They ordered that the Trump administration respond to the emergency appeal once a federal appeals court in Louisiana takes action on this case. The order read, quote, "The government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of the court".

The order drew dissents from Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito with this order, though, coming overnight around 1:00 a.m. We did not receive a statement at that time, but the order did indicate that Alito will release a statement at some point.

Now, at the heart of this, the Alien Enemies Act that they're halting the use of, we've been talking about this act for a while. It's an 18th century law, and it's the same authority that the administration used about a month ago to deport hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador. And this marks the second time that Trump's use of this act has landed at the Supreme Court.

[12:10:04]

In fact, just last week, the court permitted Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act but with a few guidelines. They said that any migrants being removed under it needed to receive notice that they are subject to the act and then have the opportunity to have their removal reviewed by the federal court where they're being detained. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Benbrook, we'll check back with you. Thanks so much.

All right, coming up, nearly 40 million people from South Texas to the Ohio Valley are at risk for damaging winds and hail. This Easter weekend will have the timeline of those storms.

Plus, we're also learning more about the victims who were killed in the mass shooting at Florida State University. We'll go live to Tallahassee next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [12:15:27]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. A series of severe storms stretching from Texas to Ohio may bring a mix of damaging hail and winds to much of the U.S. this Easter weekend.

CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar has the latest on the weather that may impact your Easter weekend plans.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Roughly 40 million people are under some type of severe weather, and that stretches from Texas all the way up into the northeast. You've got a lot of cities that are going to be impacted by these storms.

And you're talking damaging winds up around 60, even 70 miles per hour hail that could be golf balls or even larger. And, yes, the potential for some tornadoes exists, especially along the Mississippi Valley region and stretching back into the southern plains.

A lot of these storms have been ongoing since this morning, but we really start to see them ramp up overnight tonight. As you can see, more of those storms about 8:00, 9:00, 10:00 p.m. really getting going across portions of Oklahoma and Texas.

The system is progressing eastward. It just doesn't really look like it is, and that's because it's a very, very slow-moving system. So even by around 9:00, 10 a.m. tomorrow morning, it's still raining across some of the same portions of Oklahoma and Texas, while some parts of it are starting to begin to spread eastward into the Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley as well.

By Sunday evening, that big line begins to form, but, again, still looking at Wisconsin all the way back to Texas. So still some of those same areas looking at some of these storms over and over again. So not only do we have the potential for severe thunderstorms, but we also have the potential for flooding, simply because these areas are just going to continue to get rain in the same spots.

So you have the potential for some flooding, especially in the red area here, but really anywhere that's highlighted on this map has the potential for that flooding. And the reason is widespread totals of 2 inches to 4 inches, but there will be some isolated pockets that could pick up 5 inches or even 6 inches of rain.

Keep in mind, for a lot of these areas, while it's been dry the last few days, they had a tremendous amount of rain at the beginning of the month, so that ground is still pretty saturated in several spots. By the time we transform into Sunday, you're still looking at another round of severe weather, a little bit slightly east compared to where it is today.

But still St. Louis, Kansas City, Tulsa, even down into Shreveport, still looking at the potential for some tornadoes, some damaging winds, and some large hail.

WHITFIELD: All right, Allison Chinchar, thank you so much. All right, now we're learning the two people killed Thursday during the Florida's mass shooting were both fathers. One of the victims killed is Tiru Chabba, named in a statement released by attorneys representing his family. The father of two was an employee with Aramark Food Services who lived in Greenville, South Carolina.

The brother of the second victim identified the other person shot to death as Robert Morales, an FSU dining coordinator. Morales' brother said, quote, "He loved his job at FSU and his beautiful wife and daughter. I'm glad you were in my life". The names of the five survivors wounded in the shooting have not been publicly released.

CNN's Nick Valencia is in Tallahassee with the latest on this case. Nick?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're here on campus, Fredricka, where it's not as active as it's been the last two days, but we've certainly seen students come and go here. Still very much so a somber scene. Some of those students praying with the start of Easter weekend.

And I just checked in with the hospital to see how those surviving victims were doing. And as far as we know, they're still hospitalized. That includes the gunman. We know that he's going to be facing first degree murder charges, but we don't know the motive. And he's not cooperating with investigators.

And so we may never know the motive. But we know, at least according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation, one of the things that they're looking at in these early stages is whether or not the shooting was connected to a 245 rally from the Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society. It's a group that the alleged gunman had been critical of in the past.

We also know from court records that the alleged gunman had a tumultuous relationship with his biological mother. She was accused of kidnapping and charged with that. Also abused him. He was a victim of domestic violence.

But those who have learned those facts here on campus say that's still no excuse for what he's alleged to have done. I mentioned that somber scene. We were at a vigil yesterday outside FSU's football stadium where it really felt like the entire student body showed up to just reflect on the tragedy of what happened here.

Behind me, you can see one of the many memorials here that have sprung up on campus. The memorials, there's new ones here for those two fatal victims, Tiru Chabba and Robert Morales, both fathers, as you mentioned.

And just a short time ago, we heard from the university president who said that classes here on campus will resume on Monday. Fredricka?

[12:20:06]

WHITFIELD: All right. Nick Valencia, thank you so much. All right, coming up, a second round of high-level talks between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program is just wrapped up in Rome. A live report on what progress may have been made straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Happening today, a second round of critical U.S. and Iranian nuclear talks have just wrapped up in Rome. The talks were led by Iran's foreign minister and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. The two sides are expected to meet again next Saturday in Oman.

[12:25:04]

CNN's Betsy Klein is at the White House for us. Betsy, great to see you. So are we getting a sense of the tone from today's talks?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, we are starting to hear from the Iranian side how these talks went. We have not yet heard from the White House side, of course, asking the National Security Council and other officials for a readout and standing by for that.

But we know that these very high-stakes talks that took place in Rome between the U.S. and Iran, led by Steve Witkoff on the U.S. side, have concluded. They ran about four hours.

I just want to take a step back and talk about how we got here. There was an Iranian nuclear deal negotiated by the U.S., but President Trump pulled out of it during his first term in 2018. Of course, the situation has changed considerably in the Middle East since then with the October 7th attack on Israel and the subsequent conflict between Israel and Hamas.

And Iran has also moved closer toward developing a nuclear weapon. So President Trump and his team would really like to find a diplomatic solution here. These talks marked the second time they have talked indirectly.

And I say indirectly because they were moderated by Oman, the Omani foreign minister essentially shuttling messages back and forth between these two sides in separate spaces. Now, Iran's foreign minister said that these talks had movement forward. He said there were agreements on some principles.

The talks come after The New York Times reported that President Trump waved Israel off from attacking Iranian nuclear sites to give these negotiations some space to progress. But the President has repeatedly warned that there will be consequences for Iran if they cannot come to an agreement.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm for stopping Iran very simply from having a nuclear weapon. They can't have a nuclear weapon. I want Iran to be great and prosperous and terrific.

With Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon. And if they have a nuclear weapon, you'll all be very unhappy. You'll all be very unhappy because your life will be in great danger.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

KLEIN: Now, according to Iran's foreign ministry, we do expect a third round of talks to take place on Saturday back again in Oman. We are also learning that technical experts will begin meeting again in Oman on Wednesday, so potentially nailing down some final details there.

But really, some key questions remain. What kind of deal can a deal be negotiated? Will the U.S. continue to allow Iran to enrich uranium at all or not at all? And how is this going to be different from the Obama negotiated deal that was completed back in 2015, Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Betsy Klein at the White House, thank you.

Coming up, in a blow to the Trump administration, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily pauses deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. More on the latest immigration showdown next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. We're learning new details about the brewing court battle between the Trump administration and international students. So far, the U.S. State Department has revoked the visas of more than 1,000 international students and recent graduates from schools around the country. More than 100 of those students have filed suit.

And late last night, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against their deportations. One of the attorneys representing the students spoke with CNN this morning and says the government's justification is unclear.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHARLES KUCK, REPRESENTS STUDENTS WHO FILED LAWSUIT: It turns out that none of our students are inactive in any way on social media. And that these terminations actually had to do with prior contact either with law enforcement or with immigration itself that had been previously resolved. So once we realized it wasn't about social media, we knew right away that ICE had stepped over the line.

The common denominator is at some point they had their fingerprints taken, whether it was because of a speeding ticket or because they were arrested on shoplifting, which later dismissed, or whether they had actually had a problem with immigration at the border or inside the United States, then left and came back.

The common denominator is none of our clients have a conviction. None of them are deportable from the United States and none of them violated their student status.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Attorneys say another hearing is scheduled for Thursday. In the meantime, litigation continues in the case of the Maryland man who was wrongly deported to El Salvador. Senator Chris Van Hollen returned from the Central American country Friday after meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia. CNN's David Culver has more about Senator Van Hollen's meeting with Abrego Garcia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A photo op that is sparking political spin from all sides. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen sitting next to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland resident whose deportation has become a flashpoint in President Trump's mass deportation efforts and his clashes with the courts.

SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): This case is not just about one man. It's about protecting the constitutional rights of everybody who resides in the United States of America.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes.

CULVER (voice-over): Van Hollen met with Abrego Garcia late Thursday in a San Salvador hotel.

VAN HOLLEN: I called Jennifer to tell her that I had met with Kilmar. And I told her what he said to me, which was first and foremost that he missed her and his family.

[12:35:14]

CULVER (voice-over): Abrego Garcia's wife described the news of her husband's condition as a prayer answered. Adding that she's relieved to know her husband is alive. Deported last month despite a 2019 U.S. immigration court order prohibiting his return to El Salvador, Abrego Garcia was put on a plane and sent straight to El Salvador's notorious terrorism confinement center, CECOT. The administration first called Abrego Garcia's deportation a mistake in court, but now stand by it.

In the Oval Office Monday, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele sat next to President Donald Trump. Both leaders defending Abrego Garcia's deportation and imprisonment, with President Trump deferring to others to explain.

PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL: That's up to El Salvador if they want to return him. That's not up to us.

NAYIB BUKELE, SALVADORAN PRESIDENT: We're not very fond of releasing terrorists into our country.

CULVER (voice-over): On Wednesday, Senator Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador, meeting with the country's vice president. And on Thursday, he tried to access CECOT without permission.

We visited CECOT just days before Van Hollen attempted his visit. Officials took us into Sector 4, where suspected MS-13 and 18th Street gang members are kept, some convicted, others still awaiting trial. But we were not allowed in other sectors, where the newest deportees, including Abrego Garcia, are believed to be held. Perhaps most surprising is that the first mention of Van Hollen's meeting with Abrego Garcia came from President Bukele. He posted several photos with a seemingly sarcastic caption.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the death camps and torture, now sipping margaritas with Senator Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador. He then added that Abrego Garcia gets the honor of staying in El Salvador's custody.

VAN HOLLEN: As we were talking, one of the government people came over and deposited two other glasses on the table with ice and I don't know if it was salt or sugar around the top, but they look like margaritas. Let me just be very clear. Neither of us touched the drinks that were in front of us.

CULVER (voice-over): The photos Bukele selected, intentional, according to a source close with El Salvadoran president, one of them clearly showing Abrego Garcia's arm tattoos, the source saying that that is intended to hint at gang affiliations, which have been publicly alleged, but not legally proven.

Conservative allies say the meeting is proof that Democrats are siding with a suspected MS-13 gang member. But neither the U.S. nor El Salvador has filed formal charges against Abrego Garcia, and his attorneys maintain he has no gang ties. And yet he remains in Salvadoran custody.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CULVER: Now, one thing that stands out to me from Senator Van Hollen's press conference is he says Abrego Garcia, as of several days ago, is no longer being held in CECOT, the terrorism confinement center, that instead he was moved to another prison. The reason that's significant is Salvadoran officials have told me repeatedly, if you're considered to be a gang member, then you are to go to CECOT. The other prisons in El Salvador are meant for lesser criminals.

And so it's a bit contradictory if they're going to still continue to consider Abrego Garcia to be a gang member, or even, as President Bukele has suggested, a terrorist, if he's not being held in a facility that's meant for that level of criminal.

WHITFIELD: David Culver, thank you so much.

All right, joining me right now to talk about the political implications from these ongoing immigration showdowns is Seung Min Kim. She is a White House reporter for Associated Press and a CNN political analyst. Seung Min, great to see you. So let's start with this meeting between Senator Van Hollen and this wrongly deported Maryland man in El Salvador.

So whose word or actions between the White House and Van Hollen is resonating more, the White House argument of Abrego Garcia getting in the U.S. illegally, he's a bad guy, or Van Hollen's, regardless of those allegations, Abrego Garcia was denied due process? If it can happen to him, it can happen to you. Which is more resonating of an argument?

SEUNG MIN KIM, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. Well, you just pointed out the kind of two differing messages that the White House and Senator Van Hollen wants to make. The White House is really making this all about immigration. That is a political turf that they are comfortable fighting on. But Senator Van Hollen, Democrats, federal judges, they are that -- they are trying to make the case that this is about the Constitution, that this is about due process, and this is about making sure that this administration, that the executive branch does not go rogue, does not defy the Constitution, does not defy court orders.

So whichever side the public -- whichever kind of lens the public sees this, that's where each party thinks they have the political advantage. This is why you're hearing the White House say over and over, point out his alleged gang ties, which we need to show have not been proven in court. And they're pointing out all of these issues that are -- that they say are caused by illegal migration. They're not talking as much about the fact that they might be defying court orders here. And there's a specific reason for that.

[12:40:24]

WHITFIELD: And then, of course, you have this major Supreme Court session. It's a setback for the Trump administration. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling the Venezuelans in Texas cannot be immediately deported with the White House using that 18th century statute. But the Trump administration did deport the Salvadorans anyway, despite a court order not to do so. So that timeline is still being disputed.

Still no ramifications, though, you know, for the administration. So is the feeling the Trump administration will ignore the overnight ruling and deport these Venezuelans in Texas anyway?

KIM: It'd be really interested to see how the Justice Department replies to that and President Trump himself, because they did see the Supreme Court ruling as a major victory, that as long as they've got so-called due process and a court hearing and a chance to air their claims in a court of law, that they would be able to deport these Venezuelan -- Venezuelan migrants to that notorious prison in El Salvador. But you got a different sense from the Supreme Court ruling last night.

And it wasn't just a narrow decision. Only two justices dissented from that decision, from that order. So it'd be really interesting to see how the administration reacts to that restraint that the court is clearly saying they have to exercise.

WHITFIELD: Right. And -- and then, you know, what might be the political implications if the White House, if this administration does decide to ignore that Supreme Court ruling?

KIM: Well, again, they're trying to fight on the turf of illegal migration because they believe, and it has been shown in previous elections, that that is a strength for Donald Trump and the Republican Party. But let's remember that there are many reports outlining the so-called, you know, wrongdoings of the people who've been deported.

They are -- it's not quite clear what crimes they have committed. Their gang affiliations haven't always necessarily been proven. And the administration has repeated or refused over and over repeatedly to release their names, which is notable as well. So, again, you know, we -- they're -- they're trying to fight this on the political ground of immigration, and that's pretty clear. But there is a giant due process, a giant constitutional checks and balances argument that the administration is downplaying here.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. One has to wonder if it'll be a red line for members of the GOP and Democrats alike. All right. So switching gears now to Trump's escalating feud with universities and colleges. The administration is now seeking, you know, Harvard University's records on foreign funding going back a decade on -- on some, you know, foreign ties. This after Trump cut billions of dollars in federal funding to that university and threatened its tax exempt status.

So Harvard is the first major university, you know, to fight back with lawsuits, defy the administration's demands on changing policy. Is it the case that Harvard's defiance just might inspire other colleges and universities to join in this kind of resistance?

KIM: Well, you always kind of need the first one, right, to stand up and maybe others will follow along. But, again, with this argument, with this fight that we're seeing really escalate involving Harvard University, you're seeing the Trump administration thinking that the politics are on their side.

You know, for them, the -- the perspective, the lens is MAGA versus the elites. You know, never mind the fact that many members of the Trump administration, including the President and the Vice President, are Ivy League graduates, but we'll set that aside.

They really are seeing this as a promise that, you know, achieving longstanding conservative or achieving longstanding conservative goals of, you know, ideologically balancing these education -- these institutions of higher education and these aggressive ways, whether it's going after their international student population, going after Harvard's tax exempt status, blocking more than $2 billion of federal funding from that institution.

They see that as a way to make them sort of bend to their wishes, conform to their wishes. And Harvard, you're right, is really the first institution to stand up and fight back. You saw other schools, such as Columbia University, say, no, we will acquiesce and we will work with the administration.

We will institute new leadership. So it'll be really interesting to see what other schools follow, because obviously that campaign against higher, you know, institutions of higher learning isn't over by any means.

[12:45:06] WHITFIELD: All right. Seung Min Kim, we'll leave it there. Thanks so much. Great to see you and Happy Easter.

KIM: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right.

KIM: Happy Easter.

WHITFIELD: All right. Are we alone in the universe? Well, a study has now found possible signs of life on a planet trillions of miles away from Earth. I'll talk with an astrophysicist professor about the discovery, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:50:10]

WHITFIELD: All right, K2-18b. Sounds like a Star Wars character, right? Well, it's actually the name of a planet that has the science world buzzing. Astronomers have now detected what they call the most promising sign of life found outside of Earth.

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists say there are atmospheric clues hinting at organisms that could be living there. With me now is astrophysics professor Adam Frank. He's also the author of "The Little Book of Aliens."

Great to see you, professor. I know you're super excited about this because it sounds pretty promising, right? And I know you -- you actually posted a few days ago on X about how exciting it is. So how significant is this kind of discovery?

ADAM FRANK, PROFESSOR OF ASTROPHYSICS, UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER: Yeah, so I think we should start by putting it in context. First of all, the question of life in the universe is, you know, thousands of years old. People have been asking it.

WHITFIELD: Right.

FRANK: It would be -- answering it would be the most important philosophical, scientific, even religious question. And we just don't know, right? We just don't know. In spite of how many planets there are out there, it's possible that we are. Life is very rare.

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

FRANK: So that's why this news gets to be so exciting.

WHITFIELD: Right. Because it's the age old question. Is there a life out there, you know, and -- and there is some detection of life. Or is that how we should, you know, classify it? I mean, what -- what kind of life, what kind of microorganisms, particles are we talking about? At what point does it define life?

FRANK: Yes. So what's so exciting about this is it is a potential detection. And that's really that potential, everything's in that word. But of what's called dimethyl sulfide. And this is a compound, a chemical which on Earth, you know, sea life, phytoplankton are constantly burping out into the atmosphere. So the atmosphere is full of it. And we don't know of any other way to make dimethyl sulfide except life on Earth, at least, right?

So this is a possible, a potential, a maybe discovery on this world.

WHITFIELD: So kind of --

FRANK: Maybe sort of kind of on this planet that's like, you know, hundreds of light years away. And, you know, in general, I would say probably this is not I wouldn't -- I wouldn't bet on this if I was a betting man. But it's -- it's what matters about this is finally game on, right.

We've been arguing over that life in the universe for, you know, 2,000 years. We've never had any data, right. It's always just been people yelling at each other. And this is the first time it shows that we're now finally, humanity is finally at the point where we are going to start getting data that is going to be relevant to this question.

WHITFIELD: I like how you put it like that, that it could be a burp, a -- a type of burp out there. So with this burp, I mean, what does this telescope detect? I mean, how does it see this burp and then -- and then try to devise that there are signs of -- of life or -- or particles or something? What does it see?

FRANK: Yeah, that's a great question. And this is the genius of human beings, right. What the telescope does is it can look into the atmosphere. This is crazy of a planet that's 100 light years away or more. And what it can do is it can detect the fingerprint in the light of those compounds, right.

Every chemical, hydrogen, oxygen, when it emits light, it emits only certain colors, very specific colors of light. And each atom then has kind of a fingerprint in light of its existence. So what the James Webb can do, it's so powerful that it can see into the atmosphere of these alien worlds and then look for the fingerprints of different kinds of compounds.

And in this case, what we -- what they maybe possibly might have maybe seen was the fingerprint of dimethyl sulfide. This what we call a bio signature, a -- a compound that we think could only be produced by life.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, Adam Frank, you are excited and so are we. Thank you.

FRANK: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Eva Longoria, she's back and she's very excited, too, about an all new culinary adventure. She explores the vibrant and daring cuisine of Spain one bite at a time. Join the exploration on Eva Longoria Searching for Spain. It premieres Sunday, April 27th, 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN. Here's a look. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think is that chicharon?

EVA LONGORIA, "EVA LONGORIA SEARCHING FOR SPAIN" HOST: Shiitake mushroom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a duck tongue.

LONGORIA: Duck tongue. I didn't even know ducks had tongues.

Hello.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eva Longoria.

LONGORIA: Mucho gusto.

LONGORIA (voice-over): Eleven generations ago, one of my ancestors left Spain for the new world and a new life. Four hundred years later, I'm back.

[12:55:07]

LONGORIA: I'm so excited.

LONGORIA (voice-over): To see how the land and its people have created one of the world's most exciting cuisines.

I have an important question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you hungry?

LONGORIA: I'm hungry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Perfect.

Wow. You can taste the land, the grass, what they eat.

Look at that guy.

Oh, yeah.

Food makes me so happy.

Is it supposed to be eaten in one bite?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

LONGORIA: Oh, she's a pincho expert.

I get to visit Long Lost family.

Hola familia.

If you can preserve your food and your recipes, then you can teach the rest of the world who you are. This is so beautiful. Salute to that.

This is cuisine at a different level.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is the best place to be a chef.

LONGORIA: Oh, my God.

We have found Spain.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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