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Trump White House: Very Good Progress In Second Round Of Iran Nuke Talks; Supreme Court Pauses Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act For Now; Trump Blasts Federal Reserve Chari Who Warned Tariffs Could Hurt Economy; RFK Jr. Says Autism Is Preventable, Contrary To Research; Tributes Pour In For FSU Shooting Victims; 911 Call From Suspect In Arson At Gov. Shapiro's Home Released; Boston Reenacts Paul Revere's Ride 250 Years Later; Corporations Pay Big Bucks To Sponsor WH Easter Egg Roll. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired April 19, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The 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.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: All right, Allison Chinchar, thanks so much. The next hour of NEWSROOM starts right now.

[18:00:17]

DEAN: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean in New York in New York. And new tonight, the Trump administration is voicing optimism after a second round of high stakes nuclear talks with Iranian officials. The two delegations, led by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's Foreign Minister, are not meeting directly in Rome. Instead, Oman's Foreign Minister is going between the two delegations seated in separate rooms.

Of course, Washington trying to convince Iran to stop producing highly enriched uranium, which it believes Tehran intends to use to build an atomic bomb.

Betsy Klein, joining us now from the White House.

Betsy, what more can you tell us about this?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Yes, Jessica, both sides projecting some cautious optimism at the conclusion of these very high stakes talks in Rome between special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff for the U.S., Iran's Foreign Minister, and mediated by Oman's Foreign Minister.

We have heard, as President Trump is trying to find a diplomatic solution from a senior White House official who tells us in a new statement just moments ago: "Today in Rome, over four hours in our second round of talks, we made very good progress in our direct and indirect discussions. We agreed to meet again next week and are grateful to our Omani partners for facilitating these talks, and to our Italian partners for hosting us today."

This after the Iranian Foreign Minister said that there was, "movement forward" and there were agreements on some principles. These talks come after some mixed messaging from the Trump administration since that first round of talks just last Saturday in Oman, really questions of how much uranium the U.S. would or would not allow Iran to enrich, as clarified by Witkoff in a subsequent statement during the week.

He said: "Iran must stop and eliminate" again key word eliminate -- their "its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program." It also comes after "The New York Times" reported that President Trump urged Israel to hold off on striking Iranian nuclear facilities to allow these negotiations some space to potentially progress.

Of course, President Trump continues to say that if a deal isn't reached, there will be consequences for Iran. We do expect these talks to continue again next Saturday at this high level in Oman, and technical talks with experts will get underway on Wednesday -- Jessica.

DEAN: And Betsy, it has been seven years since the Trump White House pulled out of the Iran Nuclear Deal that was put together by the Obama administration. Does this administration think they can get a better agreement than what they had?

KLEIN: It is a really good question, and we really just don't know at this stage what they are willing to accept. Of course there are so -- the situation has changed greatly since 2018, when President Trump pulled out of this deal. There is so much conflict in the Middle East. There is the Israel-Hamas conflict after the October 7th attacks, and Iran has also taken significant steps toward developing a nuclear weapon. So they are certainly racing to get something hammered out here. it is just really unclear at this stage how different it is going to be from what was agreed to back in 2015.

DEAN: All right, Betsy Klein at the White House on this Saturday evening. Thank you so much for that.

Meantime, the Supreme Court making an unusual very early morning order temporarily blocking the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport a group of Venezuelan migrants currently residing in Texas. CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us now from Washington with more on this.

What exactly did this did this ruling say -- Julia.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you mentioned, an unusual overnight order, and in that, the Supreme Court paused the use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport a group of immigrants in Texas who said that the Trump administration was looking to quickly remove them from the United States. Attorneys for the Venezuelan migrants in this case filed an emergency appeal to the High Court and said that this group was facing an immediate threat of deportation and had not had sufficient time to challenge those deportations.

Now, we did reach out to the White House to get their response to the Supreme Court order and received a statement from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, where she focused in on the lawsuits, saying in part: "We are confident in the lawfulness of the administration's actions and in ultimately prevailing against an onslaught of meritless litigation brought by radical activists who care more about the rights of terrorist aliens than those of the American people."

[18:05:02]

And in this overnight Supreme Court order handed down around 1:00 A.M. Saturday, the court said: "The government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this court."

Now, the order drew dissents from two conservative justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. They did not release a statement at the time of that order, but the order did indicate that Justice Alito will put out a statement at some point, so keeping an eye out for that.

And at the heart of all of this, the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th Century law that the Trump administration used for the first time last month to deport hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador, and this is not the first time that Trump's use of this authority has appeared before the Supreme Court. In fact, just last week, the court said that Trump can use the act, but that migrants that are subject to removal using the act should be notified and that they should have a chance to have their removal reviewed in court -- Jessica.

DEAN: Julia Benbrook in Washington, thanks so much.

And joining us now, CNN political commentator, senior adviser and spokesperson for the Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign, Karen Finney. Also with us, CNN senior political commentator, Republican strategist and former Trump campaign adviser, David Urban.

Good to have both of you here with us. I want to talk about the politics around this immigration issue. And, David, I just want to start first with you.

Look, I want to know what you think about the Supreme Court's ruling that came really early this morning, and if you think that politically, this continues to be the correct path for Trump and the administration to take.

DAVID URBAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, Jess. Thanks. Happy Easter. Happy Passover to everybody. I do -- I do think it is the right way to go for three reasons that our Harry Enten so articulately lined out and I am going to read them so I don't screw them up, Jess. And pardon me, Karen, for doing it.

So, Trump's net approval rating on immigration is positive right now. Net approval positive. The American public has drastically and dramatically changed their positioning on immigration.

In 2016, excuse me, right before the election in November, Biden right track, wrong track on immigration 14 percent right track, 62 percent wrong track. Right now, Trump a plurality 46 percent right track, 42 percent wrong track. And most importantly here, is the third fact that Harry pointed out. Americans' views on deportation of all 11 million illegal immigrants in the country today has dramatically changed.

In 2016, in the first Trump administration, 38 percent of Americans favored deporting illegal immigrants. Today, in 2025, fifty-six percent favor deporting illegal immigrants.

So this is a winner for the Trump administration. They are going to stick with it, the President's right to do so, the American people voted for that to happen.

DEAN: And Karen, what are your thoughts? Because we also saw the Maryland Senator, Democrat Chris Van Hollen going down to El Salvador to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia. That's the Maryland resident who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador.

The Democrats, some Democrats seem to be really kind of rallying around that particular case in all of this, but I was talking to one reporter earlier who covers Capitol Hill, who said there is kind of a split among Democrats. Is this the right way to go when, as David notes, there are some data points that suggest that a majority of Americans support some of what the President is doing.

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Sure. And look, I think what's at the heart of this, I mean, I think, this week, the politically the Republicans have wanted to make this about Democrats defending terrorists. You heard that in the sentiment from Karoline Leavitt. That's not what we are talking about.

What Democrats are trying to stay focused on and what I do think politically, they need to stay focused -- remember, this gentleman is married to a woman who is an American citizen. She happens to live in Maryland, so she is actually Senator Van Hollen's constituent as well.

This is about the rule of law. This is about following due process and ensuring that you're getting the right people, the people who, as President Trump talked about time and time again on the campaign trail, who committed violent crimes.

I mean, he let out the January 6th rioters, if we are going to talk about people with violent crimes. We know -- I mean, "The L.A. Times" had a really interesting piece on the hundreds and thousands of people, and this is a mistake that ICE has made over the years that are mistakenly taken into ICE custody. There have been -- there was a case that CNN just reported on this week where even when this gentleman's mother brought his birth certificate to a judge, it still took some time for ICE to release him.

So I think it is worthwhile to the United States of America, the rule of law, our Constitution, to make sure we get it right. In the same way, when we are talking about the tariffs or we are talking about the economy, making sure that, you know, the President is moving with breakneck speed, let's make sure we get it right.

[18:10:11]

Let's make sure we don't cause more harm and pain. And so I think that's what Senator Van Hollen was trying to underscore and that is a message that I think Democrats should could all coalesce around. We are just asking the President to follow the law, and so is the Supreme Court.

DEAN: And, David, how much do you think the White House is relying on persuading and really having this play out in the court of public opinion as opposed to what Karen is talking about? The actual courts.

In the sense that like again, just going back to this particular case with the Maryland man, they have made a lot of accusations about him that haven't been -- there is no evidence for them that they've put in in court that they have actually legally pushed forward with. But that hasn't really stopped them from kind of creating this narrative.

So how much of this is about, do you think, really playing this out in the court of public opinion?

URBAN: Well, as those numbers that I cited, you know, they are pretty overwhelming. Fifty-six percent of Americans want to see change. They want to see illegal immigrants deported. And so I think, Donald Trump made perfectly clear, perfectly clear during this last election and his previous election as well, that things needed to change in immigration, and I think Americans are very tolerant people.

I do agree with Karen. We've got to get it right. We can't be sending, you know, people who don't -- you know, don't deserve to be deported across the border back to places they don't belong. But listen, if you're here illegally, if you cross the border illegally, you should be sent home. Fact, end of story, mic job. Done. And that's what American people want to see and they want to see it done quickly.

We can't -- listen, Donald trump has maybe, you know, 18 months to get this done. Then you have the midterms. Then, you know, it is the next administration. And so he is very, very reticent. Excuse me, very cognizant of the clock and reticent to let more time pass and let more people stay here who should be deported.

DEAN: Karen, I want to ask -- go ahead.

FINNEY: Yes, I was just going to say, but we are getting to a point where people are fearful. I mean, I've talked to a number of different people. If you are a Brown person in this country, we are getting to a point where it feels like you have to have your birth certificate on you. You have to have your passport on you to, in case you have to prove.

This is racial profiling, some of these cases that we are now seeing where, again, individuals who are American citizens are being taken by ICE, and I will tell you, as someone who has been racially profiled and put in handcuffs by a police officer, wrongly, it is one of the most terrifying experiences you can ever have.

And I think as we personalize that and we talk about why it is so important that we get this right, again, from a political perspective, I do think you're seeing -- we've also seen this week in some of the town halls that people have had, people asking questions about, where is this guy who was wrongfully sent to El Salvador? I do think the public opinion could very easily sway if we see more instances of people who come back and have these horror stories of being wrongfully either detained or deported.

DEAN: And David look --

URBAN: I still don't think -- Jess, I was just going to say, anecdotes are, you know, they're political -- they are political goal, they are persuasive, right, as Karen notes. But the overall narrative, right, there are all of these people, we have 11 million people who crossed that border, that southern border illegally. They did so illegally.

We have millions and millions and millions of people who came legally. We are doing a great disservice to all of those legal immigrants in this country. As Karen said, Brown, Black, other colors, you know, people from Europe, all the people who came here legally to this country. This country is built on immigration, on legal immigration. I am a hundred percent for legal immigration. Donald Trump, the Republican Party is for legal immigration.

What we can't have is allow people to break the law and not face the consequences. Otherwise, we might as well not have a border at all.

DEAN: I do want to ask you all before we go. There is one clip that I have really been thinking about this week that I think a lot of people have been talking about, from Lisa Murkowski, a senator from Alaska, who talked about kind of how she feels about this moment in time, and I just wanted to hear what you both thought about it. This is what she said. She is a Republican from Alaska.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): We are all afraid, okay. It is quite a statement. I am oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice because retaliation is real, and that's not right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: David, that's a senator from Alaska, a Republican saying she is afraid to use her voice because of fear of retaliation from the President and this administration. What did you think about that?

[18:20:02]

URBAN: Well, Lisa Murkowski wants to be reelected. That's what she is talking about, right? If she wants to speak her mind, she can speak her mind. She might lose her election, but she could speak her mind. That is her entire right to do and the people of Alaska have a voice. They will go to the ballot box and they'll vote.

And so if Lisa Murkowski is afraid, she is saying, she is afraid; if she speaks her voice, she may lose. I mean, what is the Trump administration going to do to her? They are not going to send her to El Salvador.

FINNEY: Well, come on, David, that's a little bit disingenuous because as we saw, during earlier this year, there were threats made against Joni Ernst that she should vote a certain way and we have been hearing, you know, lots of stories about you know, Elon Musk --

URBAN: Karen, it happens -- it happens -- it happens all the time in Washington, D.C.

FINNEY: -- and how -- use his PAC against -- how he is going to use his PAC against people who "get out of line." And I think that's what she was speaking to. We've -- I mean, granted, many of the people who have talked about this have not been willing to put their names to it, I think for obvious reasons. But I will say politically, where I think this is going to come to a head is around the budget.

I think that is where you're going to see Republicans who are up in 2026, in a real jam, because on the one hand, they are going to have the President, on the other hand, particularly when we are talking about potential cuts to Medicaid, when we are talking about the impacts that people are feeling from DOGE and people losing their jobs, I think that's part of the reason why Republicans have been told not to do town halls.

I think that's where they are going to get politically squeezed, and they are going to have to decide, you know, you're about to face the voters, whose side are you on, even if that means you have to go a different way than what President Trump wants.

DEAN: Okay. We have to leave it there.

URBAN: Well, Jess, real quickly. I would just say --

DEAN: Yes, all right --

URBAN: I would just say real quickly, Nancy Pelosi was the -- she was the queen. She gave a master class in intimidation. Every moment of her speakership. Karen knows it. You know it. Washington knows it.

So talk about intimidation. People just need to dial back, you know, the time clock and watch Nancy Pelosi in action. It happens all the time in Washington. You pay the price if you face the voters, that's what happens. So it is not something new that occurred in the Trump administration yesterday.

DEAN: All right, Karen Finney and David Urban.

URBAN: Oh, come on.

DEAN: We could go for a while on this, but we have to leave it there.

FINNEY: Happy Easter.

DEAN: Yes, Thank you, both of you.

URBAN: Happy Easter everybody. DEAN: Good to see you. Thank you.

Still ahead, President Trump blasts Fed Chair Jerome Powell after he said tariffs could raise unemployment numbers and prices. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:22:09]

DEAN: President Trump going on the offensive this week in defense of his economic management as uncertainty over trade deals and haphazard tariff policies trigger market volatility. The President turning his anger toward fed chair Jerome Powell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I don't think he is doing the job. He is too late, always too late. A little slow, and I am not happy with him. I let him know it. And, oh, if I want him out, he will be out of there real fast, believe me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Those comments coming after Powell delivered this stark warning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME POWELL, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: The level of tariff increases announced so far is significantly larger than anticipated, and the same is likely to be true of the economic effects, which will include higher inflation and slower growth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Joining us now is CNN global economic analyst Rana Foroohar.

Rana, thank you so much for being here with us. The economy and in essence operates on confidence, and I wonder how much risk do you think there is in Trump questioning the Fed's independence and Jerome Powell himself?

RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: You know, Jessica, there is a huge risk. Of all the risky things that the President has done in the last few weeks. This this is one of the top risks. Typically, you know, countries that have presidents that fire central bankers that haven't done anything wrong. That's the kind of place that you see serious political risk, instability, extremely high borrowing rates. It is kind of what you see in emerging markets.

It is not something we have seen here before, and what is particularly interesting and upsetting about this is Jerome Powell is in the position of having to possibly consider interest rate hikes at some point, because the president has put these tariffs in place, and they seem to be stoking the possibility of so much more inflation. If that wasn't happening and you just had a normal slowdown, Powell

might be able to say, yes, okay, we are going to lower interest rates. He may still do that this year. But the fact that he is in the difficult position that he is in is directly a result of the President's actions.

DEAN: And just putting aside kind of the legality, can he do it -- of it all to the side for a minute -- if Trump were to somehow fire Powell, what kind of immediate impact might that have?

FOROOHAR: I think you'd see a market crash. I think, you know, I mean I am using the word "crash" because I think it would be not just a correction, not two, three, five points. I think you'd see a really serious movement downwards, because that would tell the rest of the world we are in a very lawless situation, which a lot of people feel we are in already.

But, you know, you'd be overturning, almost a hundred years of legal precedent if that happened. I think you would see Powell fighting back. I am sure he'd be hiring lawyers. But you'd be in a real battle for literally the independence of not just America's financial system, but the world financial system, in some senses, because 80 percent of transactions are done In U.S. dollars, and suddenly you would have a situation in which, you

know, who knows what would be happening, you know, with the plumbing of the Federal Reserve and the global financial system.

DEAN: And the European Central Bank just cut its interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point. As you noted, the President has been urging Powell to do the same. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I would say the Fed really owes it to the American people to get interest rates down. That's the only thing he is good for, and he would have an effect on that if he lowered them, and I think at some point he will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: I mean, that's clearly what the President wants, is that he wants him to lower these interest rates. But it sounds like as he, as Jerome Powell laid out that because of all of these factors and these policies that he has put into place, that makes it really, it could be very dangerous to do that for the economy.

FOROOHAR: Well, a hundred percent, I mean, Jerome Powell's job is not to do what President Trump says. He has what is called a dual mandate. His job is to keep people employed, to keep the unemployment rate low and price stability, which means to make sure that inflation doesn't run amok. As we saw it do in the 1970s, the last time around.

The fact that you have a slowdown that is a result, at least in part, of tariffs, which cause inflation, has literally put Powell in a rock and a hard place. You know, I mean, he this is the kind of situation that any Fed Chair dreads just from a policy standpoint to be dealing with these kinds of threats from the President at the same time, really bad for the market, really bad for the country. Really unprecedented.

DEAN: And the Trump administration has been touting progress on certain deals this week, including with Europe and Japan. I am just curious if you think that the markets are buying this, aside from what is actually going on?

FOROOHAR: They are not.

DEAN: Yes.

FOROOHAR: They are really not. I mean, you've seen a little bit of a retail investors buying the dip and thinking, okay, maybe things have stabilized, they're going to get better. But the professionals are not buying the dip and the bond market, which really tells you what you need to know is still saying we are worried borrowing costs are going up. I mean, there is a sense that the U.S. is simply not the safe haven that it used to be, and that the President's word can't be trusted.

I think it is going to take even if you were to see deals in place, I think it is going to take some time for real trust to be regained in the market. I just do.

DEAN: Really serious stuff.

All right, Rana, thank you very much. We really appreciate your time.

FOROOHAR: Thank you.

DEAN: Still ahead, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., repeating unproven claims about autism. We will hear from one expert about how damaging those comments can be.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:32:36]

DEAN: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is sparking backlash with these comments this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR., HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: This is a preventable disease and these are kids who will never pay taxes, they'll never hold a job, they'll never play baseball, they'll never write a poem, they'll never go out on a date, many of them will never use a toilet unassisted. And we have to recognize we are doing this to our children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Now, a day later he tried to clarify, here's what he said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNEDY: I was specifically referring to that 25 percent, the group that is non-verbal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Kennedy's comments calling autism preventable and categorizing it as an epidemic are contrary to research from the CDC. A new study finds the autism diagnosis rate has increased in the U.S. and this follows a long-term trend that experts largely attribute to better understanding and better screening. Joining us now is Christopher Banks, he's the president and CEO of the Autism Society of America.

Christopher, thank you so much for being here with us to walk us through some of the facts that are - that we know to be true around the topic of autism.

I first just want to ask you what kind of response you've heard since Secretary Kennedy made those remarks earlier this week.

CHRISTOPHER BANKS, CEO, AUTISM SOCIETY OF AMERICA: Well, thank you for having the Autism Society and me here tonight.

We've gotten a tremendous amount of responses from the autism community. First when we heard the Secretary refer to the idea that he would have an answer for the cause for autism in September, that caused great alarm for us. And then the comments he made about autistic individuals not paying taxes, not paying little league (ph) amplified the volume of the calls and the voice of the autism community.

Yes, he did clarify that he was referring to the 25 percent who have significant support needs, those who are profoundly impacted by autism. But there are 75 percent of the autism community that are paying taxes that, yes, they're playing little league (ph). I know of a man on the spectrum who played on an NCAA basketball team, even though he had challenges with loud noises and sounds and buzzers. I know autistic individuals who are in great relationships. I know of a college professor at a very notable university on the West Coast who is autistic.

[18:34:59]

So I think that Mr. Kennedy's comments are wrong and misleading, and they neglect to recognize the entire autism community as a whole. I think it was very hurtful. It was baffling and left many of us very frustrated.

DEAN: And there were - I - there were some words and language that he used that I just would like to go with - over with you, and you can tell me from you all's perspective ...

BANKS: Sure.

DEAN: ... and the expert's perspective. In terms of categorizing autism as an epidemic.

BANKS: Right. Well, that, in a sense, is really fearful. It creates a sense of fear and mistrust within the community. It is not a contagion. It is not something that one gets like they would in an epidemic like tuberculosis. So, that is a misleading thing from the very beginning, right? And fundamentally it mischaracterizes the autism community, and it really undermines the respect that we all should have for everybody in the autism community.

DEAN: Also this idea about - this misinformation about the rise in autism rates. Tell us why you think we're seeing a rise in rates.

BANKS: Well, I think that science is telling us why we're seeing a rise in the rates, and that is because we're screening more people. We're being mindful that this is not one condition that impacts only one part of the population. For many years, we didn't test a good number of our population. Now we're looking at the black community, Hispanic community.

We're spending time there, and I think the rise in the prevalency (ph) rate indicates that we're providing supports and services for those who need them, and we're looking at this in a broader sense. I mean, for many years, we didn't even test girls in fourth grade. I mean, what an injustice. What an injustice.

DEAN: And then this idea that has been disproven many, many times, but that vaccines are the cause of autism. What do you know about that?

BANKS: What I know is that very, very, very smart, well-respected, highly regarded scientists have refuted this claim that was perpetuated early in the 2000s, and it has been debunked, and it has been proven that vaccines do not cause autism. So let me say that again, vaccines do not cause autism.

It's a multi-conditional situation that has environment - yes, we have to look at what the environmental, what are the biological, and obviously genetic, and we know a lot about the genetics, and we're learning more.

So, we know there are many contributing factors. I'm very concerned that the administration thinks that in less than five months, they're going to be able to tell the public what is causing autism, because I want to know who's involved in making that scientific research, because many, many people that are well-respected have already told us that is not the case.

DEAN: Mm-hmm. All right. More to come on this. Certainly, we will have you back on as this conversation continues, because I think facts are really important here.

Christopher Banks, thank you so much.

BANKS: It's my pleasure, and thank you for inviting the Autism Society to be a part of this dialogue.

DEAN: Thank you. Thank you., And still ahead, we are hearing the 911 call made by the man who set -

who police say set fire to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's home. Why he admitted to that crime? You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:43:01]

DEAN: Tonight, tributes are pouring in for the victims of the Florida State University shooting. On Thursday, a gunman killed two people and injured six others. The two men killed in that shooting have now been identified as Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba.

Morales was a university dining coordinator who'd worked at FSU for a decade. Tiru was working for a food service vendor. CNN's Nick Valencia has more now from Tallahassee. Nick?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, it's been an emotional return for everyone stepping foot back on campus. This is Easter weekend. We've seen a lot of students with their parents. Many of them coming here to pray. You can see a prayer circle behind me right now.

The grief is palpable. You can really feel how heavy and somber the atmosphere is here. Talking to students, one of them is Reid Seybold, who came here on campus for one of the first times since the shooting. And he said he just still doesn't feel safe.

The FSU president is asking students to return to class on Monday. But as you'll hear from Reid, he says he doesn't know how he's going to go back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REID SEYBOLD, FSU STUDENT: Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to be able to go to class on Monday. I don't feel safe right now being on campus. I don't know where - how we're going to do it. But, you know, there's a reason that Florida State is unconquered. We're stronger together. We will always move forward, whatever that looks like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: On Friday night, there was a massive vigil outside of FSU's football stadium. Literally thousands of people, it actually felt like everyone from the FSU student body was there. As for the gunman, we believe he is still hospitalized. He's not yet made his first court appearance. We don't know when that will happen, because of the injuries he sustained during that shooting.

But when he does, he'll be charged with first-degree murder charges. There's still no motive for what happened here on Thursday. Jessica?

DEAN: All right. Nick Valencia, thank you very much.

We are hearing the chilling 911 call made by the man accused of setting fire to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's residence. Suspect Cody Balmer placing that call shortly after allegedly setting the fire last Sunday.

[18:45:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DISPATCHER: 911, what's the address of the emergency.

CODY BALMER: I don't really have an emergency; I would like to apologize. Governor Josh Shapiro needs to know that Cody Balmer will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people. I wish no harm unto anyone. But that man, that man is doing serious, serious harm to probably yourself included. And I do wish you the best, sir. You all know where to find me, I'm not hiding, and I will confess to everything that I had done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: In response to a question about the 911 call specifically mentioning the Palestinian people, Gov. Shapiro said he will leave it to prosecutors to determine what the suspect meant by that and to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law. The 38-year-old faces charges of attempted murder, terrorism and aggravated arson, among others.

Still ahead, who's bankrolling the White House Easter Egg Roll? What we're learning about the corporations paying some big bucks to sponsor the event. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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DEAN: Today is the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution. And to mark the occasion, a reenactment of Paul Revere's midnight ride in Boston. It included, of course, the lighting of the two lanterns in the bell tower of the Old North Church, signifying the British were coming by sea. Revere's ride started in Charlestown and ended in Lexington. He got in a rowboat to cross the Charles River, slipping by British warships.

The next day, the first military engagements of the Revolutionary War happened in Lexington and Concord. This was also reenacted this morning. And planning for the historic celebration has now been in the works for two years.

This year's White House Easter Egg Roll will feature some pricey partnerships with multiple big tech companies. The event, which has been a tradition on the White House lawn for more than 140 years now, promises to be a major branding opportunity for a number of American companies, and that is what is different. CNN Senior White House Producer, Betsy Klein, has new reporting on all of this.

And, Betsy, I remember we first talked when the White House was offering sponsorships for this and they got some takers.

KLEIN: That's exactly right. This all started back in March when CNN obtained this pitch document from an outside event production company called Harbinger, laying out these key sponsorship opportunities ranging from $70,000 to $200,000. Among the opportunities offered in this document, naming rights for key areas are elements, sponsor logos on event signage, custom branded giveaways and mentions in official event communications.

But it was really unclear, Jessica, at the time what that was going to look like and whether any brands would actually sign on. But we are getting now a much clearer picture of what to expect at Monday's Easter Egg Roll, underscoring really the close relationships that tech companies have sought to cultivate with the Trump administration and also really the impact that they are seeing as a result of President Trump's tariff policies. They have lost billions of dollars in value.

But these companies are big tech. They are also associations. And some of what we are seeing so far among the sponsors, according to an official press release from the Office of the First Lady at the White House, a reading nook courtesy of Amazon, the bunny hop stage courtesy of YouTube, an AI power experience courtesy of Meta, and ringing of the bell photo opportunity courtesy of the New York Stock Exchange.

Now, Jessica, we understand that all of the money that is raised by Harbinger is going to go to the White House Historical Association. Anything left over is going to go toward future events on the South Lawn like Halloween and Fourth of July.

DEAN: And Betsy, are there rules prohibiting the promotion of certain brands or companies at the White House proper?

KLEIN: Yes, there are. There are regulations that are long established prohibiting the use of public office for private gain. And I talked to a number of lawyers and ethics experts and people who served in White Houses on both sides of the aisle who universally said that this really flies in the face of those regulations, including Richard Painter. He was in White House Counsel's office during the Bush administration. I showed him this document. He said it never would have passed muster in his day. It would have been vetoed in about 30 seconds.

Of course, this is not the first time that the Trump administration has really openly flouted rules and regulations on the South Lawn. We saw the president talking about Teslas just last month alongside Elon Musk. And he also hosted part of the Republican National Convention on the Lawn back in 2020.

DEAN: All right. Betsy Klein with the latest on the Easter Egg Roll. Thank you so much for that.

Some of your favorite stars are taking us to their favorite places. In a new CNN series, "My Happy Place." Join award winning actor Alan Cumming in the Scottish Highlands for the premiere episode. It's happening on Sunday, April 27th.

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BILL PORTER: My happy place, one place where I could truly be myself. I am totally in love.

ALAN CUMMING: I feel a deep sense of calm when I'm here. I slow down. I connect.

OCTAVIA SPENCER: This city feels like an extension of my personality.

QUESTLOVE: Whenever my schedule clears, I head straight to my happy place, Austin, Texas.

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There's a level of joy that I get for people to actually appreciate the music.

SIMU LIU: There's something about Thailand that just seemed very welcoming to me.

I hate how good that taste is.

TARAJI P. HENSON: I needed a radical change of scenery. Bali allowed me to find the part of me that I had lost.

OCTAVIA SPENCER: I want people to experience this highly captivating, culture-filled, beautifully intricate, diverse city. There's no other place like it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Didn't we just watch his movie today?

SIMU LIU: Life's crazy, isn't it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "My Happy Place" premieres April 27th on CNN.

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