Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Pro-Democracy Demonstrations Protesting Trump Admin Policies; Interview With Governor Matt Meyer (D-DE); White House Urges Supreme Court To Allow Deportations Under Other Laws; Trump White House Says Very Good Progress In Second Round Of Iran Nuke Talks; Putin Declares Brief Easter Truce; Ukraine, Russia Swapped Hundreds Of Captured Wounded Soldiers; Judge Declines To Enforce Order Restoring AP's White House Access; Pope Francis Limits Appearance As He Continues To Recover. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired April 19, 2025 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:15]
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean in New York.
And protesters out in force across the country today, from New York to Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Saint Paul, Minnesota, Ohio, Delaware. These protesters were speaking out against Trump administration policies. It is the latest in a series of nationwide days of action that started back in February with the name 50-50-1, which they say stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement. The protesters say they're rallying against the president's funding cuts, government cuts, deportations and Elon Musk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN WARTHEM, PROTESTER: We've lost our democracy. I'm a retired Navy pilot. And a lot of people don't understand how we've actually lost our democracy because the president is not obeying the rule of law. He's not following a 9-0 finding by the Supreme Court of the United States. So right now, we're trying to get our country back. We've already lost it. Now it's up to us to get in the streets and get it back, just like they did in 1775 with Paul Revere. One if by land, two if by D.C.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: National correspondent Rafael Romo has the latest look at the protests in Atlanta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: People are chanting things like regulate guns, not women, no mass deportations, America has no kings, defend our Constitution, save the CDC and resist fascism and white supremacy.
We're standing at the corner of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue here in Atlanta. This is a protest that started around noon. It's still going on. These people earlier today started marching north here in the midtown neighborhood towards Piedmont Park, the historic Piedmont Park. They went as far north as 14th Street where the Peace Monument is located.
They say they want to put an end to some of the things that they are seeing from the Trump administration. They were very specific that they do not agree with the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. And they say that he should be brought back to this country.
A lot of the protesters here are expressing feelings of friendship, feelings of camaraderie, as you have seen. And so far, they have not blocked any streets. They have not blocked any of the sidewalks. We earlier saw Atlanta Police come to this location, but only to keep an eye on things because it has been peaceful.
One thing I have to say, though, is that this protest is considerably smaller than what we saw here a couple of weeks ago when thousands upon thousands of people marched from this area here near Piedmont Park, several miles to the Georgia state capitol. But they say this is only the beginning. They're talking about resisting the current government, and they say they are here to stay.
Again, something that has been mirrored in other cities. There was a protest today, also in Washington, D.C. and other places around the country.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: All right, Rafael, thank you.
And let's take a look at the scene in Newark, Delaware, today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are here to say stop the con.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Joining us now, the Democratic governor of Delaware, Matt Meyer.
Governor, thanks so much for your time this evening. We really appreciate it. I know that you were at a protest in Rehoboth Beach today. How do these protests translate into action, into things actually changing?
GOV. MATT MEYER (D-DE): Well, Jessica, first of all, it's incredible to see Americans truly rising up. This is a country of people. Ultimately, all of us, as elected officials, respond to the people. In Rehoboth there were over 1,000 people there. Delaware is not that big. That's like half of our population here. It was incredible number. You mentioned in Newark as well and across the state.
It translates into action because ultimately, if we don't have support of the people, whatever we're proposing is not going to happen ultimately. And the people are reminding us of that. So I think it's really important.
DEAN: Yes. And look, protesters are looking to Democrats to act. You are obviously a sitting Democratic governor. What role are you all as Democratic governors currently in office playing in the party right now?
MEYER: Well, look, tomorrow night when Delawareans and Americans sit down for their Easter dinner or to break the eight days of Passover, when they sit down, the price of eggs on their table is going to be more expensive than it's ever been. The price of the meal is going to be more expensive than it's ever been.
[19:05:06]
American families, working families, often two working parent families, are getting crunched and squeezed. And so I think when people are like, what's the future of the party? What's the future of the country? Whoever can stand up and deliver, truly deliver solutions to those very real problems, Democrat or Republican, is, I think, the idea and the individuals that are going to emerge from our current situation.
DEAN: Do Democrats have the right message right now? Can they connect with voters?
MEYER: I think, right. Listen, I think the Republican Party has turned into a following of one person. If the person says one day we need to tariff everyone, then that party, their policy is to tariff everyone. If the next day he says the policy is a 90-day pause, the Republican Party's platform is a 90-day pause.
The Democratic Party is more a party of the people. The people control. So when you talk about message, it's -- it can be what I was talking about today, which a lot of it was about that I was an AmeriCorps member 25 years ago. I was in a program called Teach for America, taught in the Anacostia section of Washington, D.C. There are tens of thousands of AmeriCorps members all across our country, serving hundreds of thousands who've served for years.
That program is being gutted right now. These are not bureaucrats. They are public servants who are serving in our communities. And I think that message resonates. I think when people see their 401(k) disappearing, $11 trillion of lost retirement savings in the first 11 weeks of this president's administration, I think that resonates. But it's a message really emanating from the people, not from any particular individual politician.
DEAN: We saw one of your gubernatorial colleagues, I guess you could call it, Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan in that kind of now famous photo in the Oval Office a couple of weeks ago, where she was there because she is the governor of a purple state, and she says she was trying to talk with President Trump about some things, but she kind of held that binder up over her head so no one could see her face in the Oval Office.
It's a tricky position to be in. As a Democrat, looking ahead, what do you do if you're her and you're stuck between your constituents, but also needing to advocate for your state?
MEYER: Look, my wife will tell you that I'm kind of colorblind a little bit. That's not the only reason why that I don't see blue or red or purple. My job is to deliver for the people of Delaware. I might be a member of the Democratic Party, but I'm not the Democratic governor of Delaware. I'm the governor of Delaware. And my job is to deliver for everyone.
If people love Donald Trump, but their 401(k) is disappearing, they're threatened by Social Security. They have a son-in-law or a cousin whose job has been cut by DOGE, it's my job to deliver for them. And I have the same message that I've communicated directly to the White House. As is true, I think of many Democratic governors. I'm eager to work with the White House however I can to deliver for Delawareans and deliver for Americans.
And that still stands. And I still do -- we found it challenging to do that. I'm passionate about education, obviously, as a former public school teacher and we see a lot of services and a lot of offices and a lot of people going away. But we're eager and we continue to be eager to work with the Trump administration however we can to deliver for Delawareans.
DEAN: All right. Governor Matt Meyer, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Thanks.
MEYER: Thank you. Appreciate it.
DEAN: Still ahead, how the White House is responding to an overnight ruling from the Supreme Court that temporarily paused deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:13:30]
DEAN: New developments tonight surrounding the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. The White House is now urging the Supreme Court to allow it to deport migrants using other laws outside of the Alien Enemies Act. This comes just hours after the justices blocked the administration's use of the 18th century law to deport a group of Venezuelan migrants in Texas.
CNN's Julia Benbrook is live in Washington with more details on this.
And what is the White House saying, Julia?
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the overnight court order, 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 working to quickly remove them from the United States. Attorneys for the Venezuelan migrants in the case filed an emergency appeal at the high court and said that this group was facing an immediate risk of deportation and had not had sufficient time to challenge those deportations. We're going to pull up part of the court order for you now. In it,
they said, quote, "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." The order drew dissents from conservative justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
Now, the Trump administration, like you mentioned, they did respond later in the day, and they are telling the Supreme Court that they would like the authority to remove the Venezuelan migrants being detained in Texas, that we've been speaking about, with something other than the Alien Enemies Act.
And the Trump administration's top appellate attorney wrote, "The government has agreed not to remove pursuant the Alien Enemies Act."
[19:15:08]
Those alien enemies act detainees who do file habeas claims. The court should dissolve its current administrative stay and allow the lower courts to address the relevant legal and factual questions in the first instance, including the development of a proper factual record."
Now, at the center of all of this, the controversial Alien Enemies Act. It's an 18th century law, and it's the authority that the Trump administration used about a month ago when they sent planes of alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador. That, of course, made a lot of headlines and has caused a lot of questions since then.
This is not the first time that the Supreme Court has been talking about Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act. In fact, just last week, they said that he could use the act, but said that any migrants who are subject to deportation using the act should be notified and then should have an opportunity to challenge this in court -- Jessica.
DEAN: All right. Julia Benbrook from Washington, thank you so much for that.
And joining us now, defense attorney and former federal prosecutor Shan Wu.
Shan, great to have you to talk through some of this with us. The White House now wants the Supreme Court to allow it to use other laws to deport those migrants in Texas, while courts look into the case. What might that look like? What could these other laws be?
SHAN WU, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Anybody's guess. They're just trying to throw things on the wall to make it stick. It's really, Jessica, it's the height of hypocrisy for them to take that position. They are the ones who are trying to spirit people away in the dead of night. But for this quick action by the ACLU, that would have happened.
And it's ridiculous for them to talk about how they want the lower courts to develop a factual record when they don't give anyone a chance to develop that factual record. So now they're trying to play gamesmanship with the court's words to say, oh, OK, so you're saying we can't send anyone away under the Alien Enemies Act, you know, maybe we can do it for something else.
They might invoke the normal immigration removal statutes. Fine. They can invoke that as a matter of law. Same problem. They need to have a process for people to have that invoked against them and to make a defense. And that's really what the problem is right now. And the Supreme Court is seeing that very clearly that the White House and DOJ is trying to evade any kind of court role here at all. And that's really what the problem is.
DEAN: It's interesting because in Karoline Leavitt's statement, she kept saying that they want to do this lawfully, I believe was the word she was using. And what you're saying is a lot of this is trying to like skirt around the law and see how far they can push it.
WU: Absolutely. And the problem with Miss Leavitt's statement and their entire position is they want the law to be whatever the administration says it is. They feel like they can simply invoke the Alien Enemies Act, and thereby have things done by decree, rather than saying, oh, we think this person is subject to the Alien Enemies Act. And we're going to demonstrate that for the court.
They want to avoid that. They just want to say, you're subject to it. We're going to do what we want. And that's really what the problem is. And it's so important that it's being slowed down, not just by the Supreme Court, but in all these (INAUDIBLE) that are being brought, it's the same theme, and it's important they're being slowed down.
DEAN: Yes. And in this new request, staying with this for a second, from the White House, the Trump administration's top appellate attorney argued the case had moved too quickly for the lower courts to establish the facts. Do you think that's a reasonable argument?
WU: It would be very reasonable if they actually did things in the lower court to establish the facts, such as presenting evidence about the people that they think should be removable or should be subject to the Alien Enemies Act. It's fine, but it would be very, very wise of the Supreme Court not to lift this administrative stay because then we've seen what happens. You get into this circular mode where, oh, they're out of the country and now maybe the administration wants to say we have no jurisdiction, so let the courts do what they want but meantime, the people are gone.
And that's what the danger is if you don't put a stop or temporarily freeze these kinds of actions by the administration.
DEAN: And so noting about somebody being deported out of the country, I'm thinking about the Maryland man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who we now know, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, who is essentially stuck there because the El Salvadoran government isn't bringing him back. And the American government is not moving to bring him back. What happens now?
WU: Well, what happens, I think, is that they, the White House is going to have to explain to the court what they are doing and why they continue to, in my view, misinterpret the Supreme Court's use of this word facilitate. [19:20:02]
I think they shouldn't have been so nuanced about it, but clearly facilitate does not mean what the government is trying to say, which is, oh, it's an open door if he can get to our door, that's what they're saying. If he gets here, we'll listen to what he has to say. But we're doing nothing to help him get here even though it's entirely our fault that he's there.
I mean, you can't talk out of both sides of your mouth that easily, which is it's a mistake. But at the same time, you want to constantly talk about how the person deserves to be there, and there's nothing we can do about it, then must not be a mistake.
DEAN: Yes. And that's -- and so is there any legal path for his attorneys at this point?
WU: I think they have to stick with the trial court that has the jurisdiction to move forward to say, the government's interpretation of the word facilitate is not right. And that has to be directly addressed by the lower court. And I think the judge is doing that. And then, of course, once the judge makes that perfectly clear, does the fact-finding they will probably, the government will probably try and again try to appeal that or try to go to the Supreme Court. So it really is just trying to slow roll this.
DEAN: All right. Shan Wu, always good to see you. Thanks for your thoughts on this. We appreciate it.
WU: Good to see you.
DEAN: Still ahead, the key differences the White House will have to sort out with Iran as it holds these high stakes indirect talks that are trying to keep Tehran from making a nuclear weapon.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:25:55]
DEAN: The Trump administration seems optimistic after a second round of high stakes talks with Iran about that country's nuclear future. The two delegations led by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's foreign minister, not meeting directly. Instead, Oman's foreign minister is going between the two delegations seated in separate rooms.
Washington wants Iran to stop producing highly enriched uranium, which it believes Tehran intends to use to put together a nuclear weapon.
Betsy Klein joining us now from the White House.
And Betsy, there's been mixed messaging from the White House on the talks this week. So where do we stand tonight?
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Yes. Well, some really cautious optimism from both sides of the talks after these very high stakes, four-hour long discussions in Rome today, led by Steve Witkoff on the White House side, the special presidential envoy, as well as Iran's foreign minister and the Omani foreign minister kind of shuttling back and forth with messages as a mediator between the two sides.
President Trump really wants to see a diplomatic solution here. This marks the second set of talks after last week's talks in Oman. And we heard from a senior administration official with a very brief readout. The official told CNN, quote, "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 next week and are grateful to our Omani partners for facilitating these talks, and to our Italian partners for hosting us today."
This after Iran's foreign minister said that the talks had movement forward. He said there was agreement on some principles. And these talks, as you mentioned, come after some mixed messaging this week from the Trump administration on whether and how much uranium it would allow Iran to refine. But Steve Witkoff ultimately making clear in a statement earlier this week, quote, "Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program."
Key word there, of course, is eliminate. It also comes after that "New York Times" report that President Trump asked Israel to hold off on striking Iranian nuclear facilities to give these negotiations some time to progress. But President Trump continues to say that if a deal is not reached, there will be consequences for Iran.
We do expect the two parties to meet again on Saturday at this high level in Oman. We also expect technical experts from both sides to get together and start discussing on Wednesday -- Jessica.
DEAN: All right. Betsy Klein at the White House for us tonight. Thank you very much.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is declaring a temporary halt to the fighting in Ukraine for Easter weekend. But Ukrainian officials say they are still under attack.
Air raid sirens rang out in Kyiv shortly after Putin made the truce announcement, and Ukrainian officials say Russian strikes have continued in the Kherson region.
Joining us now to talk more about it, Jill Dougherty, former CNN Moscow bureau chief and adjunct professor of Russian Studies at Georgetown University. She is also the author of the new book "My Russia: What I saw Inside the Kremlin."
Jill, I'm really excited about your new book, and I do want to talk about it in just a second. But first, I want to get your reaction to Putin's declaration of this two-day truce with Ukrainian officials saying, look, these attacks just haven't stopped.
JILL DAUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. I mean President Putin has had numerous ceasefires, truces, I should say. And all of them have been broken. And it's Easter. It's nice that he is announcing this, but I actually don't think it's going to have a whole lot of effect. You already see that the Ukrainians are saying, you know, they're still being hit. So I think we do have to look at the timing of this. You know, after the Trump administration showed that it's getting a little tired of this back and forth and wants a ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire ASAP.
[19:30:02]
DEAN: Yes, and to that point, it comes just after, as you know, President Trump said he wanted a peace deal quickly. And after he and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said they were prepared to move on from this peace process altogether if no progress is made soon.
I'm curious just to you how that leaves and where you think things will go from here.
DOUGHERTY: Well, you know, there is there is the possibility that the White House, President Trump simply says, and he already has, you know, held it out there along with Secretary Rubio, that they would simply walk away, that if this is not going to happen, if the sides are not serious, and usually that message is more toward the Ukrainians. If these sides aren't serious we've been spending a lot of time. Were out of here unless they get serious and we get an agreement very soon.
And I actually think that that is a possibility. I mean, it is very complicated to get some type of real ceasefire. And, you know, President Trump could say, I'm washing my hands. I tried, I tried, they're not serious. And then he could put it on the shoulders of the Europeans, which he's already been doing to a certain extent. So, it's not looking good.
DEAN: Yes, and President Trump often said he would in this, this war immediately. And now, he's gotten his chance to try to bring it to an end. Are you surprised that it has gone the way it's gone so far?
DOUGHERTY: No, I'm not, because when President Trump said, I can solve this in, you know, even before I get into the White House, it was never going to happen. I think anybody realistically who looked at the situation knew there was no way this is, you know, the war has been going on for three years. It is a very complex war. It's not just Ukraine, you know, it's Ukraine, Russia, Europe, China, Iran, North Korea and many other -- food, et cetera.
So, you know, to think that it could be done that quickly, I think was ridiculous. But you know, now the problem is everybody does want it to come to an end and that's going to have to be a ceasefire. But where, you know, when we get there. Does Putin, that's my question. Does Putin actually want this? And I don't think at this point that he actually does at this point.
DEAN: And also, today Russia and Ukraine, we did see have this swap of hundreds of captured and wounded soldiers. It's the largest such exchange since the war began. Does that signal anything to you or not?
DOUGHERTY: Well, I think it's good, but, you know, at the same time, we know that there have been a number of prisoner swaps. So, again, it's good. It's very big. It comes at Easter. This, by the way, this year, Easter in the Eastern right and in the West is celebrated on the same day. So there's a lot of, you know, feeling and emotion about this. But will it lead to some type of ending of this war? Nobody can say.
DEAN: I do want to talk about your book, "My Russia" what I saw inside the Kremlin. It's out this week. You, of course, spent many years reporting from Russia. You served as the network's bureau chief in the capital as Putin took power. I mean, you really saw so much happening and had such a front row seat to it all. Walk us through. Obviously, it's a its a book. There's a lot in there. But walk us through what people will learn from this book. Why you felt like you wanted to get it all out and write it down.
DOUGHERTY: Oh, well, well thank you. You know, it begins with my fascination that actually started in high school when I studied the Russian language. And then I just got more and more interested and attracted by the language. And this was the Cold War, so, there were a lot of ways that the U.S. government helped people like me to study Russian, to become an exchange student, to go to Russia. So this is really, you know, a long lasting interest. And I think, you know, a lot of people have said like, what were you trying to impart?
And I think if there's one bottom line, it would be that Putin is not Russia. You know, like many people say, oh, without Putin there would be no Russia. But actually Putin isn't Russia. You know, Russia is much bigger than Putin. And it's had good leaders and bad leaders. You know, Stalin, Gorbachev.
So, what I'm looking at is the younger generation. And I know times are complicated, and a lot of them in Russia are quite cynical about the world at this point. But I really think that people like that who grew up, you know, with no leader other than Vladimir Putin, they're not Soviet. They didn't grow up in the Soviet Union like Putin did. And maybe there is a chance that they can build the country that they deserve, that young people deserve. And other Russians too. So, that's -- I think, the bottom line for me is this hope continues, although it can get pretty dark sometimes.
[19:35:20]
DEAN: Yes, a little hope is good though. Jill Dougherty, thank you so much. Congratulations on your book. That's really exciting.
DOUGHERTY: Thank you.
DEAN: Still ahead, why a federal judge says he is not taking further steps just yet, as the Associated Press accuses the Trump White House of violating a court order restoring its press access.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:40:17]
DEAN: The legal drama between the Associated Press and the White House continues. A judge says it's too soon to tell whether the Trump administration is violating his recent court order, barring the White House from blocking the AP's access. The AP complained after it had not been picked frequently this week for a spot in the system. The judge saying he will, "not micromanage the White House."
Joining us now, CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter. Brian, good to see you on a Saturday night. Thanks for being here. So where does this leave the AP right now?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: This is a big turning point in terms of how the Trump administration brings journalists in and who gets to ask the questions. You know, this battle, Jessica, started very early on in Trump's second term, when the Trump White House objected to the associated press, referring to the Gulf of Mexico when Trump wants everyone to use the phrase Gulf of America. The AP said -- hey, we can't let the American President decide what words we use. And so, it went to court trying to get its access restored.
In some ways, the judge did side with the AP, but in a narrow way and what happened this week was really telling. The Trump White House changed the way it sets up the press pool, basically, it changed the policy for who is allowed into the small group of journalists who travel with the President are in the Oval Office on any given day.
The way that the White House changed the policy, it basically sidelined the AP as well as the AP's main competitors, Reuters and Bloomberg. It basically said, okay, it's not just the AP now, it's all of them that no longer have a guaranteed seat every day in the press pool. So by doing so, basically they've rewritten the rules in a way to satisfy this federal judge
And that's why maybe the judge on Friday said, right now I don't see a further reason to intervene. So the bottom line here is that outlets like the AP and Reuters are going to be having less access to President Trump. And the bigger picture is very clear. The Trump White House wants fewer skeptical reporters and more sycophants. They want a lot fewer hardballs. They want softball questions. And to some extent, that is what they're getting. Although the good news, I think, is that the big T.V. networks like CNN and ABC and NBC are still in the pool on any given day, still asking the tough questions -- Jessica.
DEAN: Yes, I also want to ask about this funding threat to PBS and NPR. This week, the President's Budget Chief Russell Vought announcing these White House plans to send Congress a proposal that would ask them to rescind already approved federal funding for public broadcasting. So, walk us through what you know about this and what the threat might be here.
STELTER: Well, I've been talking to station leaders from New Hampshire all the way to Alaska. They say this would be the first time in generations that NPR and PBS would be put up for an up or down vote in the Congress.
Why? Because normally, funding for public media is stuck in some big fat budget bill that maybe nobody even reads. And the money gets approved every year. Even though Republicans like to complain about PBS and NPR. The difference this year is that the Trump White House wants to have a fight over public media. They want Congress to claw back the money that was already approved for PBS and NPR stations around the country.
Now, what the station leaders say is, that's the smaller stations, the rural stations in Republican strongholds that will suffer the most. I mean, think about it. Big stations in New York and D.C. And other big cities, they have lots of donors. They have lots of financial support. But it's the smaller stations that would suffer.
So, these station owners and executives, they're hoping in the next two months to convince the Congress not to claw back the money. Basically, not having a vote would be the victory for these stations. And I think we should view the PBS and NPR funding fight in a broader prism. All of these Trump moves against the media, they're right out of the autocratic playbook.
Try to defund the media, try to ban pesky reporters like the associated press, investigate media companies, pressure their owners, block access to government records, intimidate critics. It's all related. It's all about putting pressure on the media. But those pressure points fail when there are pro-Democracy coalitions that are stronger than the wannabe autocrat.
So, that's what public media is hoping for. They're hoping for lots of people to come out and support them and try to get this funding to stay in place.
DEAN: Yes, it will be really interesting to see how that all shakes out, because without that funding, to your point, a lot of these stations that have been in communities for a really long time will not have the funding that they need to move forward. All right, Brian Stelter, thank you so much. It's really good to see you, I appreciate it.
STELTER: Thanks
DEAN: Up next, Easter Sunday is going to look a little different for Pope Francis as he recovers from a case of double pneumonia that put him in the hospital for weeks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:49:22]
DEAN: Vice-President J.D. Vance met with Vatican officials today, he's there with his family over Easter weekend. The Vatican says Vance and senior officials had what they called an exchange of opinions about migrants, refugees and prisoners.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis's Easter will look a little different this year, as he's still recovering from double pneumonia, which nearly ended his life and is, as a result, unable to lead Easter services as he's done in previous years.
CNN's Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb has more on this -- Christopher. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Not long out of hospital, where he came close to death. Pope Francis is preparing to celebrate Easter. But in a very different way than previous years, as he continues to recover from double pneumonia.
[19:50:10]
The 88-year-old pontiff is unable to lead the Vatican's Holy Week services. He can't speak in public for long periods. Doctors ordered him into weeks of convalescence.
Nevertheless, the Holy Father is determined to participate and to make surprise appearances. On Thursday, he went to a Rome prison to show his solidarity with inmates, telling them that had he been able, as in years before, he would have washed some of their feet. A ritual that follows Jesus Christ washing the feet of his disciples.
This is the high point of the Church's calendar, with pilgrims flocking to Rome expecting to see the Pope.
GAIL ONTONG, TOURIST: It is very disappointing, but I think because this is such a special time. It didn't really take away from the celebration and why we are here as well.
LAMB (voice over): Among them, U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance, a Catholic, who is hoping to meet Francis.
(UNIDENTIFIED PRIEST speaking in foreign language.)
LAMB (voice over): The pontiff has delegated the major Holy Week and Easter services to certain cardinals, although he did make an appearance on Palm Sunday. Since being discharged from hospital. The Pope has resumed some meetings, including a private visit with Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla and he thanked the medical team who saved his life.
POPE FRANCIS (through translator): Thank you all. I pray for you. Please do so for me.
LAMB (voice over): He even appeared casually dressed while greeting visitors at Saint Peter's Basilica.
Good Friday is when Christians remember Christ's suffering and death on the cross, and then celebrate his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
This year, the world's more than one billion Catholics would also pray for their leader, frail in health, but strong in faith.
(POPE FRANCIS speaking in foreign language.)
LAMB (voice over): Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE) DEAN: So two rival Churches in Greece are facing off here in a very
unique Easter celebration called "The Rocket War." At midnight local time, right when Easter Sunday begins, members from each church launched more than 50,000 homemade fireworks at each other. And their goal is to strike the opposing church Bell Tower while the church service takes place inside.
I mean, it looks pretty, but also kind of a wild game they're playing there. But both churches have participated in this explosive battle for more than 130 years. So, they probably look forward to this.
And they're off, more than 20 robots joined runners -- thousands of runners in a first of its kind half marathon in Beijing. Man versus machine here, coming in a variety of shapes and sizes, the two legged robots were assisted by their teams, only really slightly veering off course. And just as human runners are allowed to drink water to replenish the robot, contestants are allowed fresh batteries during the race.
Man ultimately triumphed over the bots, with the first robot crossing the finish line in two hours and 40 minutes. It's creators credited the impressive performance to an algorithm that allowed it to imitate how a human runs.
Still ahead, how cities across the country are honoring 250 years since Paul Revere's Midnight Ride. A very pivotal moment in American history. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:58:18]
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 that included the lighting of two lanterns in the Bell Tower of the Old North Church. Of course, signifying the British were coming by sea.
Revere's ride started in Charlestown and ended in Lexington. He got in a boat to cross the river, the Charles's River. He slipped by a British Warship, and the next day the first military engagements of the revolutionary war happened in Lexington and Concord. There was also a reenactment of those this morning. Planning for the historic celebration has been in the works now for two years.
An all new episode of "Have I Got News for You" is coming up tonight on CNN. And guest this week, our political commentator Alyssa Farah Griffin and comedian George Wallace. Here's a quick preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROY WOOD, JR., AMERICAN COMEDIAN AND ACTOR: Here's your headline: What happens to blank in space? Experts weigh in.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Botox. I've always wondered what. Happens to Botox in space. MICHAEL IAN BLACK, AMERICAN COMEDIAN AND ACTOR: Why are you wondering
that?
GRIFFIN: Does it stay in place? Does it go somewhere?
GEORGE WALLACE, AMERICAN COMEDIAN AND ACTOR: I wonder what happened to farts in space?
BLACK: There's no atmosphere to move it around.
GRIFFIN: So, it's just kind of lingering like a bubble.
WALLACE: That's what a good fart would do -- wait give me a minute.
[LAUGHTER]
WOOD, JR.: What happens to Botox, fillers and implants in space?
GRIFFIN: I was right, yes.
WOOD, JR.: Experts weigh in.
GRIFFIN: I really didn't expect to be.
WOOD, JR.: Yes, this is what all the scientists who Elon fired are working on. Some doctors say that your Botox will be fine, but your fillers might shift and people with breast implants could feel discomfort due to accumulation of peri-implant gas.
Remember the Reebok pumps back in the day? And then you hit that valve and then "pssshh."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: "Have I Got News for You" airs tonight at 9:00 Eastern.
Thank you so much for joining me this evening. I'm Jessica Dean. I'm going to see you again tomorrow night right here. We start at 5:00 Eastern. "Real Time With Bill Maher" is up next. Have a great night everyone.
[20:00:19]