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Putin Proposes Unconditional Direct Talks With Ukraine; India And Pakistan Manage Tense Ceasefire; Source: U.S.-China Trade Talks Set To Continue Today; Iran And U.S. to Resume Talks Over Tehran's Nuclear Program; GOP Leaders Considering Changes To SNAP Program. Aired 5-6 am ET
Aired May 11, 2025 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[05:00:32]
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.
Ukraine's President Zelenskyy responding to an offer from Vladimir Putin to have direct talks, but there appears to be a condition. We're live in Kyiv with details.
India and Pakistan celebrating a tentative ceasefire between the two countries. We'll have live reports from both sides of the border just ahead.
Plus, thousands are gathering at the Vatican to hear the new Pope lead a prayer. We're live in Rome with a preview.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: We're getting reaction from Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy after Russia proposed direct peace talks with Kyiv. He posted a short time ago that it's a positive sign that Russia has begun to consider ending the war and that Ukraine is ready to meet, but it came with an apparent condition. The Ukrainian leader says he expects Russia to confirm a, quote, "full, lasting, and reliable ceasefire starting tomorrow."
Hours ago, U.S. President Donald Trump also posted his reaction, touting the development as potentially a great day for Russia and Ukraine. He added he'll continue to work with both sides to make sure it happens. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed sitting down with Ukrainians face to face, but without any conditions.
The proposal came hours after top European leaders turned up the pressure on Russia during their joint visit to Kyiv on Saturday. They told Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire by Monday or face massive new sanctions.
For more, Nick Paton Walsh is standing by in Kyiv. So Nick, interesting developments here. Putin's offers, Zelenskyy's response. Take us through everything that happened and whether there's now a more optimistic mood there in Kyiv.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, sorry. Let's just remind everybody why we're here in the first place. There was an offer yesterday made by the four largest European powers and Ukraine for Russia to accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
And that offer was made, the Europeans said, with the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump. What we've heard is a response from Moscow in which Vladimir Putin hasn't outright explicitly said he would reject the idea. He has questioned how Ukraine has adhered to ceasefires in the past and claimed they have violated them.
They've also -- Ukraine's claimed Russia has violated them. And rather than accepting that unconditional ceasefire, he has instead repeated what he said in the past in a possible different wording, that he is willing to have face-to-face talks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
And indeed, the potential carrot he's offered to the Trump administration is, he said, a date of the 15th of May and a place in Istanbul for those talks potentially to happen. But here's what Putin had to say in response to that significant offer or demand for an unconditional ceasefire that we heard yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: We are committed to holding serious talks with Ukraine in order to eliminate the root causes of the conflict, to arrive at an enduring, long-lasting peace in the long run, in the long historical run. Ceasefires or truces, real ones, that would be respected not only by Russia but the Ukrainian side and would be a first step to a long-lasting, enduring peace, not a prologue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: Now, that's obviously not been enough for Kyiv. We've heard from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that this is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending this war. The entire world has been waiting for this day. He calls it a first step, though, having a ceasefire.
And again, he says that they would want Russia to adhere to the ceasefire that's meant to start at midnight tonight. French President Emmanuel Macron, who was on the phone several times before yesterday's highly significant meeting here in Kyiv with U.S. President Donald Trump, well, he has got off the train coming out of Ukraine, and he has said that there can be no negotiations while weapons are speaking.
I should remind you that, again, after Russia's unilaterally declared ceasefire ended at midnight last night, we had sirens about 6 o'clock this morning here in Ukraine, shaking the country as drone attacks by Russia continued.
Macron continues to say there can be no dialogue if at the same time civilians are being bombed, the ceasefire is needed now so talks can begin for peace. And again, Zelenskyy's Chief of Staff has said that there has to be a ceasefire first before talks can begin.
[05:05:01]
So we are into a very delicate moment here, where clearly Putin has not accepted an unconditional ceasefire. He's questioned Ukraine's adherence to previous ceasefires that frankly haven't really been respected by either side. And at this point, we are unsure as to whether talks in Istanbul will indeed happen. That is something that Trump has been keen to see happen, face-to-face talks, something he mentioned himself.
Trump's most recent Truth Social post about this talked about how it was a positive development potentially and how it could be better for the world in general if this war came to an end and he would continue to work with the Ukrainians and the Russians. But he did not specifically talk about the sanctions, the massive sanctions that French President Emmanuel Macron said would kick in if Russia did not accept this ceasefire. That is essentially what's hanging in the background here.
Is the United States willing to bring the stick to this as well as Putin dangles these occasional carrots? But at this point, we have a ceasefire that is supposed to begin hours from now at midnight. We have Moscow saying that they are not unconditionally accepting it.
They are holding out something that's been suggested before by all sides here that they could potentially have both Ukrainian and Russian presidents' meeting together and they're given a date and a place for that. But we are into a point now where I think the eyes will begin to turn towards the White House as to whether they are willing to stand behind their European allies as was suggested they would yesterday in Kyiv if indeed this ceasefire doesn't come into effect from the Russian and Ukrainian side at midnight and introduce those penalties that the French, British, German and Polish leaders spoke of so vociferously here just yesterday.
Kim?
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, they suggested that they have Washington's backing on that. So the question is, what will President Trump do?
I want to get your analysis, Nick. What led to this offer from Putin, do you think? Pressure from those European leaders or a change in tone from Washington?
WALSH: Yeah, I mean, look, this Putin offer isn't really much of an offer. It's a date and a place for something which had previously been suggested by both sides. Both Putin and Zelenskyy have expressed in different wording their willingness to the potential of face-to-face or direct talks between Russia and Ukraine at the highest level.
So I think it's fair to suggest this as progress perhaps in Russia's view of this and that they're giving a place very soon on the 15th and a date and a place in Istanbul. That's concrete terms for an actual event. But it is not an agreement to an unconditional ceasefire, which is explicitly what the Europeans said they had the backing of the Trump White House for here.
So I think we've seen Russia clearly here trying to suggest that it's immune to pressure from Europe. That's what the Kremlin spokesperson described this as necessarily being. But ultimately, their approach towards the ceasefire here hasn't enormously changed. They still have conditions for it. One of these conditions are talks. They say they won't get into a ceasefire ahead of talks about it. And they still seem to have what they call nuances. And that's questions about how the ceasefire would be implemented. Russia's critics say that is simply buying time here.
And indeed, Ukrainian military we've spoken to point to significant buildups around the front lines that might suggest Russia is not looking necessarily for a summer of peace. But it's an interesting development that we're at here in that yesterday, listening to those European leaders in Kyiv talking, they seemed highly skeptical that Russia would sign on to the unconditional ceasefire which they proposed.
And so ultimately here, perhaps we're seeing this play out in such a way that Europe is turning its attention again to the Trump White House to say to them, are you going to back us in the way you said you would when we were together in Kyiv on the phone with you?
They published a picture of those key four European leaders, two nuclear powers, the four largest militaries in Europe on the phone with Trump. And they emerged from that call saying that they had his backing. And so essentially, this moment perhaps is about trying to explain to the head of the White House, President Donald Trump, exactly what Russia's goals in this war are. And that's not for peace. It seems, in Europe's view, for prevarication, and we're seeing perhaps a sign of this this morning.
BRUNHUBER: Appreciate getting you to explain the significance of all these developments for us. Nick Paton Walsh in Kyiv, thank you so much.
India and Pakistan are accusing each other of violating their tense ceasefire, but so far that ceasefire appears to be holding. Saturday's agreement ended the worst fighting in decades between the two nuclear- armed neighbors. It came as the conflict appeared to be spiraling out of control.
U.S. President Donald Trump is taking credit for the ceasefire and says he will boost trade with both countries. He posted on social media that the agreement came after a long night of talks mediated by the United States. Pakistan is thanking Trump, but India is downplaying the U.S. role, saying the ceasefire happened because of direct talks with Pakistan.
We have reporters live in India and Pakistan right now. Journalist Vedika Sud is in Delhi. But we begin with CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson in Islamabad.
[05:10:04]
So, to start, Nic, both sides accusing the other of breaking the ceasefire. Where do things stand right now?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, at the moment, they seem to be relatively quiet along that line of control, the disputed border in Kashmir. And we don't have any fresh reporting, and it does sort of seem to be typical of the way that -- you know, the rise and fall in tensions across that border have happened historically.
There is an expectation that -- that officials from both sides, military officials, will discuss details about it, precisely when and how that happens. That isn't clear. But at the moment, it does seem that the trend of the tension is on the way down.
And I think that's really reflected in the sort of sense of relief here in Pakistan that the threat of a terrible war has been lifted. There's relief that Pakistan really feels that it's not alone, that it has friends in the international community who will step in and help it resolve tensions with India. And I think this is something that they'd like to see going forward.
This is just a ceasefire. There are a lot of other remaining unresolved issues. So there will be a hope that these new -- well, not new, but these rekindled strength of support from these international allies and friends is something that can be carried on into those further conversations.
But it does seem to be calm there. The prime minister has been very clear. He said that the military has made military history, the sense is that the country has had a strong military response to -- to India.
So you -- you get the sense at the moment that -- that a calmness, even a normality, is returning and being restored, that the day of Thanksgiving is to give gratitude to God, to, you know, to note and support national unity and to thank the troops for their work. It's -- this is -- this is a moment where -- this is a moment where -- where I think Pakistan is looking to the future now and how it begins to address those other issues, specifically the issue of water that India still says is going to be cut off from those three vital rivers, existential, official CSA, that flow into Pakistan.
BRUNHUBER: All right. So that's the Pakistani perspective. Vedika, what is India saying about all of this and plus that key Indus River agreement that Nic was just talking about?
VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Kim, this morning was a day when residents in Indian-administered Kashmir woke up to a fragile truce, really. They're going back home. They're going to the homes that they had abandoned two days back because of the cross-border shelling, because of the military offensive that was spiraling out of control, at least on Saturday morning.
It's a very different picture now, but the truce, like I said, is still fragile. I'm going to now tell you more about that call that happened from the U.S. President Donald Trump. Rather, that tweet he put out saying that there is a ceasefire deal between India and Pakistan. However, what's interesting there is that India has come out to say that that deal was because of talks between India and Pakistan. This was expected given that India sees itself as a rising power and would reject intervention or mediation from a third party on Kashmir. That's been their stand for very long. However, Pakistan did hail D.C. for their intervention.
Now, yes, coming to the water deal, that's something even prior to this military offensive that started on Tuesday night, Wednesday morning local time. India had made clear that there would be a series of issues that they are not going to let, you know, continue talking to Pakistan about in terms of diplomacy, strategy, and other aspects as well.
And one main aspect in this was turning off the tap of the Indus waters to Pakistan. And that remains. There's been no change in that status quo even after the ceasefire deal.
Now, in terms of the ceasefire violations, both India and Pakistan have been accusing each other of violating ceasefire. In fact, India's foreign secretary came out late last night in a press conference. And here's the message he had for Pakistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VIKRAM MISRI, INDIAN FOREIGN SECRETARY: This is a breach of the understanding arrived at earlier today. The armed forces are giving an adequate and appropriate response to these violations. And we take very, very serious notice of these violations. We call upon Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address these violations and deal with the situation with seriousness and responsibility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SUD: Kim, while India and Pakistan have stepped back for now from the brink, it remains to be seen if the ceasefire will hold. Back to you.
[05:15:06]
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much to both of you. Vedika Sud in Delhi and Nic Robertson in Islamabad. Appreciate it.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel says the Trump administration has left no stone unturned in its goal to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, yet the conflict is no closer to ending, and Israel is threatening to expand its war in Gaza.
Israel Ambassador Mike Huckabee says the administration is putting enormous pressure on Hamas to get them to release the hostages, saying it's the Trump administration's highest priority. Israeli protesters marched in Tel Aviv Saturday, demanding that the U.S. president pressure Israel's leaders to end the war and secure the hostages' release. Now, all this comes as Donald Trump prepares for a visit to the Middle East next week, but he won't be stopping in Israel.
Pope Leo XIV is settling into his new role and setting the tone for his papacy. In just a short while, he will lead the Regina Caeli Prayer in St. Peter's Square, where more than 150,000 faithful are expected to take part. And you see the huge crowds there that have been gathering all morning. The new pontiff visited the tomb of Pope Francis on Saturday and had a first formal meeting with the cardinals. Among other things, he explained how he'd follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis. He also described artificial intelligence as a challenge for working people. His installation mass is next Sunday.
I want to bring in CNN's Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb, who joins us live now from Rome.
So, Christopher, a big day, huge crowds there behind you. Walk us through what we're expecting.
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, there's a big number of people gathering here in the square. I can see people filing in. There's been a big brass band coming into the square to St. Peter's. So really kind of a huge number turning out to see Pope Leo XIV give his first Sunday reflection.
Of course, this is the first Sunday since his election. And in the Regina Caeli address and prayer, we are expecting the pope to address some of the global crises that are going on. He might talk about the India-Pakistan standoff.
Of course, the cardinals, when they were discussing who they wanted as pope, were quite clear they wanted a pope who would be willing -- really able to speak on the global stage, be a moral voice, to speak for peace. And so we are expecting on this first public outing since his election a strong reflection on what is going on globally.
We also heard yesterday from Pope Leo why he chose the name Leo XIV. It's after Pope Leo XIII, who was a major contributor to Catholic social teaching, which is a body of work engaging with politics. And Pope Leo XIII issued a very important encyclical teaching on the role of workers in light of the Industrial Revolution.
And Pope Leo XIV said that he chose the name because there's a similar revolution going on with AI, which the pope and the Catholic Church needs to address. So we are expecting an important public intervention from Pope Leo, his first since his election. And there's a lot of people here. There's a lot of noise. And there's a kind of celebratory atmosphere here as well.
Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right, I appreciate that. We can hear that celebratory atmosphere loud and clear there. Christopher Lamb, thanks so much.
Amid crucial trade talks between the U.S. and China, President Donald Trump is already celebrating the negotiations. That's coming up.
Plus, we'll take a look at reaction to the talks in China. We'll have a live report from Hong Kong. And high-level talks between Iran and the U.S. over Tehran's nuclear program will resume at any moment in Oman. I'll be speaking with an expert on what, if anything, can come from that latest round.
That and more coming up. Stay with us.
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[05:22:59]
BRUNHUBER: A source tells CNN that U.S. and Chinese officials are preparing for a second day of trade talks in Geneva. U.S. President Donald Trump says, quote, "great progress was made on Saturday." He projected optimism about the meeting on "Truth Social" saying the two countries are negotiating a total reset on trade. The president said many things were discussed and agreed to, but he didn't get into any specifics.
I want to go live now to CNN's Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. So, Christie, according to President Trump, there's been great progress. Do the Chinese share his optimism?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, not quite. And I'll tell you in just a moment. But first, U.S.-China trade talks in Geneva have resumed. This is according to "Reuters" citing a source. As you pointed out just now, Kim, U.S. President Donald Trump is calling these talks underway in Switzerland, quote, "a total reset." China not going that far. We heard from Xinhua, the official news agency in China, calling them, quote, "an important step."
Now, on Saturday, that was when we witnessed He Lifeng, the Chinese Vice Premier, engage in some eight hours of talks with the U.S. Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, as well as the U.S. trade representative. And the talks are resuming today.
And this is a very critical moment. This represents the first time you have the U.S. and China engaging in high-level face-to-face talks since this latest trade war was kicked off earlier this year in March.
Now, it was yesterday when Xinhua released a commentary, commenting on these talks that are underway in Geneva, calling them an important step. And this is what it said, translated from the original Chinese. It said, quote, "Engagement in Switzerland is an important step toward resolving the issue. However, an ultimate solution requires sufficient strategic patience and determination, as well as the just support of the international community," unquote.
Earlier this year, Donald Trump, the U.S. President, hiked up tariffs on China to an eye-watering level of 145%, and then China hit back with retaliatory tariffs of 125%, which was unprecedented. It also hit back with limits on U.S. film imports, limits on the exports of rare earth, which is a critical ingredient for the Chinese defense sector, as well as the semiconductor and tech sector, as well.
[05:25:15]
Before these talks kicked off in Geneva, Donald Trump, on "Truth Social," floated this idea of lowering tariffs on China to 80%. And even though that would be a sharp drop from the current up to 145%, it still would be a drag on trade. A lot is riding on these talks right now to under way in Geneva, Switzerland, for a second day in the row.
As a result of this ongoing trade tension and conflict between the U.S. and China, this has upended the global stock markets. It's upended the global supply chain. It has raised the risk of a recession.
A number of analysts say, look, it's good that they're talking right now, but the chances for having some sort of immediate breakthrough are slim. There was this note of optimism from a Shanghai-based consultant I do want to share with you. His name is Bo Zhengyuan. He is a consultant with Plenum, a partner there. And this is what he said. He said, quote, "If there is a temporary truce or symmetrical rollback of tariffs, that would be conducive to future potential holistic negotiation efforts."
So, this could be talks to lead to more talks. But there are complicating factors, especially a list of non-trade issues, on top of dealing with these tit-for-tat tariffs. The U.S. and China also have to untangle a number of other issues, including cooperation on fentanyl and tech restrictions, geopolitical issues like the war in Ukraine.
So, Kim, even though the stakes here are, yes, very high, investors all over the world are closely watching what is going to come out of these talks, the chances for an immediate breakthrough are slim.
Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, the stakes, those huge rise in prices that we're already seeing here in the U.S. Appreciate it. Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, thanks so much.
LU STOUT: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Still ahead, we'll bring you the latest out of Oman, where U.S. and Iranian negotiators are still trying to overcome their differences over Iran's uranium enrichment program.
Plus, Donald Trump's big, beautiful bill. What we're learning about the winners and losers when Republicans finally decide who gets stuck with paying for their tax and spending priorities. That and more coming up. Stay with us.
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[05:30:43]
BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta. Let's check some of today's top stories.
Ukraine's president says Kyiv is ready to meet with Russia, but still expects Moscow to confirm to a ceasefire starting tomorrow. He posted his reaction a short time ago after Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed direct peace talks without conditions.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump dubbed the development as a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine and vowed to work to make it happen.
India and Pakistan are accusing each other of violating their tense ceasefire, but so far that ceasefire seems to be holding. Saturday's agreement ended the worst fighting in decades between the two nuclear- armed neighbors.
"Reuters" is reporting that a second day of trade talks between the U.S. and China are underway. President Trump says great progress was made during the first round in Geneva. He says many things were discussed and agreed to, but he didn't get into any specifics.
At any moment, Iran and the U.S. will sit down for the fourth round of talks over Tehran's nuclear program. Both sides have made their red lines clear ahead of the latest talks in Oman. Iran says it must be allowed to keep enriching uranium, and an Iranian official told CNN that the recent talks were, quote, "not genuine from the American side."
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, he said they likely were designed as a trap to draw the situation toward tension. Now, those comments come after Trump's special envoy warned that if today's talks aren't productive, the U.S. won't continue, and, quote, "will have to take a different route."
I'm joined now on this by Jasmine El-Gamal, former Pentagon Middle East Advisor, and Jasmin comes to us live from London. Thank you so much for being here with us.
So the tone from Iran doesn't seem all that promising from what we heard, and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff saying this week that if today's talks aren't productive, they won't continue. The stakes today make or break?
JASMINE EL-GAMAL, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST: Thank you so much for having me. The stakes are high, to be sure, but I would be cautious about coming to conclusions on the tone of one party or the other. The fact is, if we look at what's happening actually on the ground, this is the fourth round of talks that's now taking place between the U.S. and Iran, which in itself means that both parties are really serious about trying to find a diplomatic solution to this longstanding issue between the two of them.
Of course, both sides are going to be hedging. These talks were slightly delayed because Steve Witkoff said that they weren't sure Iran was going to be productive. Iran is saying things on their end, but the fact is that the talks are moving forward and they're meeting, and I would take that as a really positive sign, especially when you take it into context of everything else that's happening in the region, including this upcoming trip to the Gulf countries, which I'm sure we'll talk about.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, the context can't be ignored here. So very briefly, the key issue in Richmond, explain the two countries' red lines on this.
EL-GAMAL: Well, the U.S. red line has -- has been clear, although there have been some conflicting statements coming from Steve Witkoff lately. The main point is about the enrichment issue, the enrichment of uranium, and whether Iran should have the capability to enrich uranium to a weapons-grade level.
Now, Iran says that it doesn't seek to do so, but it wants to maintain the ability to do so, while the U.S. position has largely been that that is a red line, that they cannot be able to enrich uranium and that they should only have this weapon -- this program for civilian use only.
So the interesting thing here is that in the past few days, Steve Witkoff has made slightly contradictory -- contradictory statements, on one hand, saying that it would be OK to have this capability. It's not completely off the table. But then he did an interview with "Breitbart" saying that it is completely off the table.
So I think, you know, this is the Trump administration. They are going to say conflicting things. It's what they do. It's what they've done.
But I think, Kim, the important point is to focus on the continuity of these talks and President Trump's insistence, really, that he wants to come to a diplomatic solution, to find a diplomatic solution to this issue, and that he doesn't want to go the military route.
[05:35:13]
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's important, because he said that if diplomacy failed, then he might have to go that route.
So, meanwhile, President Trump is heading to the Middle East on Monday. He may not be bringing peace, as he promised in his elections, but he is bringing the promise of American business. So the priority here, making deals?
EL-GAMAL: Well, it's interesting, because I think the two really go hand in hand, even if one is spoken about more than the other. Because when you think about it, you can't have economic prosperity, and you can't have trade, you can't have investment and all of these things that President Trump wants without a fairly peaceful, stable situation in the Middle East. So the two definitely go hand in hand.
And I think this visit to the region comes at such an incredibly dynamic and interesting time for the region. And it's really starting to shape, I think, what we can understand of the Trump foreign policy vision for the Middle East, which is really focused on peace, on stability, on economic prosperity.
And what's more interesting, even to me, is that this trip comes at a time when we're seeing really unprecedented tension, and even some would say a moving away by the U.S. from Israel, a longstanding ally, where we see Trump more and more starting to think and look at Prime Minister Netanyahu as a liability rather than an asset. He's seeing him being very aggressive in the region, using military force. The former E.U. chief, Josep Borrell, has just come out and called Israel's actions in Gaza a genocide. That consensus is gaining more and more steam. He's not giving diplomacy a chance anywhere. And you can see Trump being quite frustrated with that and starting to make moves in the region with his Arab allies and not so much with Israel.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how Israel's war in Gaza influences all the other aspects that you're talking about, namely trying to make all those deals and trying to forge peace between Israel and other Middle Eastern states.
We'll have to leave it there. Jasmine El-Gamal, thank you so much for your analysis. Really appreciate it, as always.
EL-GAMAL: My pleasure, as always.
BRUNHUBER: Well, U.S. House Republicans have released an early look at their budget bill ahead, the key cuts it makes to give Donald Trump what he wants, plus sweeping changes that could come to a program that helps feed families.
This is CNN NEWSROOM. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: U.S. House Republicans have released an initial bare-bones version of their budget bill ahead of a key vote next week on President Trump's agenda. The White House proposal stands at $1.7 trillion dollars, down 7.6% from the current year's budget. The House Ways and Means Committee plans to make its mark on the bill on Tuesday.
Key cuts in the Trump proposal include reductions for foreign affairs, housing, science, education, health care and nuclear energy. The White House National Economic Director says President Trump isn't a strong advocate of raising taxes on the wealthy to pay for budget items and many Republicans go along with that sentiment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN HASSETT, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL DIRECTOR: The president is not a strong advocate of that.
SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: We don't want to raise taxes on anybody. I mean we're about lowering taxes on -- on Americans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd like to not see rates raised on anybody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's 100% not on the table to do that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't support that initiative.
REP. MIKE JOHNSON, (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: I'm not in favor of raising the tax rates because that's -- our party is the -- the group that stands against that traditionally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump wants Congress to pass a big beautiful bill that would overhaul government spending and cut taxes. It's also expected to include sweeping changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. That program provides money for food to millions of low-income Americans.
House Republicans are considering two changes to SNAP that they say would cut 230 billion dollars from the federal budget. The first would require able-bodied adults to work to qualify for benefits. Currently not all states require that. That change would also increase the minimum age for the work requirement from 54 to 64.
The second change would require parents of children between the ages of 7 and 17 to work 20 hours a week or volunteer for 80 hours a month. Currently there is no federal work or volunteer requirement for that group.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins oversees the program and she says the changes are to ensure that SNAP's funding is being used effectively. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROOKE ROLLINS, U.S. AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: In the last administration we had a massive influx of dollars. Almost a 35 to 40% increase of the SNAP program under the Biden administration. That didn't necessarily mean more money to families, it just meant a massive new layer of bureaucracy, of NGOs, et cetera .
So as we are realigning and reforming the SNAP program in partnership with our great friends G.T. Thompson, John Bozeman, others on the Hill, that ensuring that as we are looking at that, the money goes to what it was intended and that is a supplemental nutrition program for American families that need it the most. And that's what we're really focused on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And some representatives have also suggested that states pay for a part of the program. To date the federal government has funded SNAP. So for more on all this I want to bring in Professor Craig Gundersen who's the Snee Family Endowment Chair and Professor of Economics at Baylor University and he joins us live from Cypress, Texas.
Thank you so much for being here so early this morning, really appreciate it. So we're talking about SNAP which many would know by the name food stamps. It's the largest anti-hunger program in America helping more than 41 million people. So first on the work requirements, the ask here is you know you get free food, you should work to earn it so you're not forced to rely on government handouts forever. I mean that seems reasonable doesn't it?
CRAIG GUNDERSEN, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS, BAYLOR UNIVERSITY: So I mean it does seem reasonable and one great thing about the structure of SNAP is that currently it does not discourage work. So from my perspective these work requirements actually are in many cases redundant and more fundamentally not something we want in this program.
BRUNHUBER: Why not?
GUNDERSEN: So the way -- there are some assistance programs in the United States which have a perverse structure whereby if you make more money through earnings is all of a sudden you may lose all your benefits and this discourages people from working. That's not the way SNAP works. The way SNAP works is for each additional dollar you earn you lose 30 cents in benefits. In other words there's a tax to earning more but it's not a large tax.
[05:45:03]
So just the way I perceive work requirements is this program is already not preventing people from working. People are more able to work on this program and the punishment for working in terms of reductions in SNAP isn't that large and that's why I feel that work requirements are redundant and not needed.
And moreover, and more fundamentally, is that SNAP is an anti-hunger program, full stop. It's not designed to do other things. So let's not get it confused with other things such as work requirements.
BRUNHUBER: Right. And so, as I understand it, the research suggests that it doesn't actually help get more people into the workforce. It just forces people off of these benefits. Do we know how many people or what percentage of people getting benefits now might be forced to drop out with these new requirements?
GUNDERSEN: I mean, given all the exceptions in the program for various reasons, even when work requirements are put in the place is this is difficult to ascertain. It's also difficult to ascertain how people would respond to these work requirements. So but my concern is perhaps that those who are most in need, in other words, those who are least able to enter the workforce would be most harmed by this.
Before talking about it, I just want to mention how successful SNAP is as a program. It really is, from my perspective, the quintessential successful government program in so far as it seeks to alleviate food insecurity in the United States and study after study has demonstrated that it does succeed in alleviating food insecurity. So any changes to the program, such as these work requirements, could do grave damage and lead to large increases in food insecurity in the United States.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Let's talk about that damage. You know, you've been known for the map, the meal gap and analyzing the geography of food insecurity. So what -- what areas or populations do you think would be most affected here?
GUNDERSEN: So the leading -- the leading cause of food insecurity in the United States is disability status, and there's a high number of people on SNAP with various disabilities, which -- which prevent them from fully attaining enough food without the benefits of SNAP. So my main concern with these work requirements would be that those who with disabilities, whether they be diagnosed or undiagnosed disabilities, would be hit especially hard. And that would lead to an increase in food insecurity in the United States, especially amongst the most vulnerable, namely those with mental and physical health disabilities.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah. And another change, having states foot more of the bill. So which states do you think would be most affected or what are the consequences of this change, do you think?
GUNDERSEN: Yeah, this is another, again, I think the fundamental structure of SNAP is great. And one of the key features of SNAP is that it's an entitlement program in the sense that it doesn't have to be authorized by Congress every year to increase or decrease the amount of money for this program. And therefore, during times of economic hardship, whether it be in the Great Recession or during COVID, the SNAP benefits automatically increased.
If this was instead funded by states in part, I believe some of the proposals have been like 25% of the benefits from states, the states would not have the ability to increase their -- to pay for these extra benefits that are needed during economic downturns. And that would create some serious stress on states because states aren't always able to increase their expenditures in the way the federal government can because they don't have those resources. So it would do great damage, especially in some of our states without the fiscal resources to do so.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I guess, as you say, it's a hugely successful program that's helping so many people. We'll have to see what changes, if any, are brought to it and what effect that might have.
Craig Gundersen, thank you so much for speaking with us. Really appreciate it.
GUNDERSEN: And thank you for your attention to this, important topic.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, next stop, Celebration Station. Thomas & Friends gifts a never-before-seen exclusive to their fans, young and old, for its 80th anniversary. We'll have that story just ahead. Stay with us.
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[05:52:58]
BRUNHUBER: Our beloved children's icon is celebrating its 80th anniversary in a major way. The British hit series Thomas & Friends released its original pilot on Friday in commemoration of the milestone. It features the voice of another British icon. Our Ben Hunte has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): All aboard for a trip back to childhood.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One day, Thomas was at the junction when Gordon shuffled in with some trucks.
HUNTE: If the sight of the little blue engine doesn't take you back in time, maybe the voice of the narrator will.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was funny, he chuckled. He felt very pleased with himself.
HUNTE: To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the creation of Thomas the Tank Engine, a previously never-before-seen pilot of the television series Thomas & Friends has been released. Narrated by Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.
The character of Thomas the Tank was introduced in the Railway series books, first published in 1945 and later made into a TV series that premiered in 1984.
Producers say it was a labor of love to restore the episode originally shot on film.
IAN MCCUE, SERIES PRODUCER: We had to do a lot of delicate work in cleaning the footage, scanning it in 4K, stabilizing it, and then re- piecing the film together.
RYAN: My name is Ryan.
HUNTE (voice-over): Over the years, many famous people have voiced characters on the TV series, which has changed from live action to CGI and expanded to movies and merchandise. But whatever the format, the tales of the train cars that have names, personalities and misadventures are still chugging along.
MCCUE: You love trains, you're going to love Thomas & Friends, but I think also the stories are timeless. The stories of teamwork and friendship and just great adventures are there for everyone to enjoy.
HUNTE: Some props from the TV series will also be going up for auction, with the proceeds donated to National Autistic Society. Tokens of the enduring fascination with Thomas that spans generations. The family of author Wilbert Audrey, who first brought Thomas to life, said they're both surprised and touched by his legacy.
[05:55:00]
RICHARD AWDRY, GRANDSON OF REV. WILBERT AWDRY: Granpuff in particular would be absolutely astonished that it's still so popular. Longevity is something that doesn't come along very often. And it's nice to be in that special place where we're still talking about it.
HUNTE: Ben Hunte, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Well, today is Mother's Day here in the U.S., but this year flowers are more expensive and some shoppers are avoiding them altogether because of the Trump administration's sweeping trade war. Eighty percent of all cut flowers sold here in the U.S. are imported for Colombia, Canada or Ecuador.
All these countries are now facing tariffs. The price of some of the most popular flowers have doubled. Many potential customers are avoiding pricey flowers altogether, not just because of the cost, but because of fear of a larger economic turndown.
One flower wholesaler told CNN how the tariffs are affecting his business.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you hoping that these tariffs will eventually go away?
SAL JIMENEZ, FLOWER WHOLESALER: I think we all are. Yeah, I think we all are. Because this country consumes a lot of import goods. And that's definitely something that is part of our daily life. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How much are they hurting your business?
JIMENEZ: There is a percentage because now people doesn't get prepared as they used to. They kind of wait for the movement flow. And then everybody's kind of like last minute.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And I'd like to wish a happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there who are celebrating, including my own.
That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in North America, CNN THIS MORNING is next. For the rest of the world, it's MARKETPLACE ASIA.
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