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Federal Court Blocks Most Of President Trump's Global Tariffs; Germany Announces Joint Germany-Ukraine Missile Production; Political Violence Flares Ahead Of Mexican Elections; Why The Macron Shove Video Is Old News In France. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired May 29, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Almost all of Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs ruled illegal ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The president claimed he could impose the tariffs without Congress by declaring a national economic emergency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: But the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled the president exceeded his authority, putting the brakes potentially on his global trade war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks, within two weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The U.S. president giving Vladimir Putin two weeks to show he's serious about ceasefire talks with Ukraine. But could this be another empty threat?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GADI MOKOTOV, OWNER, ETTS BLINDAJES: Here's if you want to take a shot from inside. And this door is like escape door.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And on-the-job training for public officials in Mexico. How to survive while increasingly being targeted and killed by drug cartels.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: For the past few months, Donald Trump has waged a global trade war by imposing tariffs almost at will, issuing executive orders under the authority of emergency powers. But a little known federal court in New York says the U.S. president exceeded his authority. In a three judge unanimous opinion, the U.S. Court of International Trade effectively blocked almost all of the president's tariffs, ruling the administration failed to prove a national emergency existed in order to unilaterally impose tariffs, which typically require approval from Congress.
This order immediately halts his 30 percent tariffs on China, 25 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, and the 10 percent universal tariffs as well. But the 25 percent tariff on cars, car parts, steel and aluminum will stay in effect under a different law.
The Trump administration is appealing this decision and again lashed out at the courts, writing in a statement, "It is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency."
President Trump is facing at least seven lawsuits challenging these tariffs. An attorney for one of the plaintiffs spoke with CNN.
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JEFFREY SCHWAB, SENIOR COUNSEL AND DIRECTOR OF LITIGATION, LIBERTY JUSTICE CENTER: A very important case, not only because of the tremendous economic impact that it has on everybody, but particularly businesses and our businesses. But also because of the tremendous power grab that the administration is claiming here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: CNN's Marc Stewart joins us now live from Beijing.
So, Marc, well, this is no doubt good news for the government there in Beijing. It seems to be really good news for the financial markets.
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No question, John. In fact, as we've seen over the last few eight weeks, the mere mention of tariffs can cause markets to sink. Well, now we have the reverse. Now we have this injunction. And we at least here in Asia so far, where the trading day has been underway for about four hours or so, we have been seeing gains across the board in South Korea, in Japan, and of course, some of the indexes here in China.
What's really interesting about this, this case that led to this injunction, certainly impacts main street, Wall Street, I should say, but it was really brought upon by main street. We're talking about small businesses, including a wine company that felt that these tariffs were negatively impacting them. They took this case to the court, said that the president did not follow the different criteria under an emergency order. And so, of course, we have now seen the court side with them.
Some interesting aspects of it. If we look at what has now been halted, among the 30 percent tariffs that were implemented on China, some of them were in place during this truce period that we have seen as the U.S. and China negotiate. Well, those have now been eliminated, along with everything else on the board except the tariffs on automobiles, steel or aluminum, which do have a big impact in this part of the world, as we see a lot of steel and car production from both South Korea and from Japan.
Nonetheless, this is a move that is certainly being cheered by the people who brought this to fruition because, as you mentioned, there are a lot of different legal lawsuits going through the system right now. Let's listen to what one attorney who helped bring up this case had to say.
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SCHWAB: The Constitution gives the power to tariff to Congress, not to the president. So that means there's got to be some limit when Congress delegates that authority to the president.
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STEWART: So we are likely to see an appeal from the White House, or we are now seeing an appeal by the White House. The process is moving forward. As far as the reaction from China, it is getting some coverage here in state media, but only the mere reporting of what has happened, that these tariffs have now been halted.
We should get some insight, John, when we hear from government officials at their daily press briefing at 3:00 in the afternoon. Obviously, for China, the fact that all tariffs are off the table perhaps will change the course and the tone of future discussions with the United States with some of these broader trade issues -- John.
VAUSE: Marc, an incredible day, really. Marc Stewart there in Beijing. Thank you.
The next round of peace negotiations with Ukraine and Russia will be on Monday in Istanbul. And there, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the delegation will present a memorandum to Ukraine outlining Moscow's position on, quote, "overcoming the root causes of the crisis."
President Trump says he'll know in about two weeks if Vladimir Putin is serious about ending the war. Two weeks is a recurring timeline for the U.S. president, who often gives that response when asked about pending decisions. In the meantime, Ukraine's president has agreed to a new arms deal with Germany.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen has details reporting in from Berlin.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Germany appears to be drastically stepping up its military aid for Ukraine announcing a five billion euro aid package that covers not just giving Ukraine weapons and munition, but also combined production of weapons.
Now all this comes as President Vladimir Zelenskyy of Ukraine was here in Berlin to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. And during that meeting and after that meeting, it was thought that maybe Friedrich Merz would announce that the Germans would give cruise missiles to the Ukrainians. However, that was not the case. Instead, the German chancellor announced that there would be combined weapons productions by Germany and Ukraine for longer range weapons.
Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): We are financing a considerable part of the country's Starlink cover, and our defense ministers will today sign a memorandum of understanding on the procurement of long range weapon systems from Ukrainian production, so-called long range fires. There will be no range restrictions. Ukraine will thus be able to defend itself fully, even against military targets outside its own territory.
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PLEITGEN: Now, a little bit more nuance about that was given by the German Defense Ministry. They said that the first batch of these weapons would be in Ukrainian hands within the next couple of weeks. Also that no additional training would be necessary for the Ukrainian forces that are set to use these weapons. And at the same time, the Germans saying that they believe that a significant number of these munitions could be in Ukrainian hands before the end of the year.
So certainly that could drastically enhance Ukraine's capabilities of attacking targets deep inside Russian territory, which of course the Russians have said could potentially escalate the war in Ukraine. And the Russians also coming out and heavily criticizing this new measure by the German government, saying that the Germans and the French where, as the Kremlin spokesman said, in a race to escalate the war in Ukraine.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
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VAUSE: Beth Sanner is a CNN national security analyst and the former deputy director of U.S. National Intelligence. She joins us this hour from Washington.
Welcome back.
BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Thanks, John. Happy to be here.
VAUSE: So it seems the German chancellor was working very hard to avoid saying the word Taurus, as in the Taurus low cruise, long range missile, which Ukraine desperately wants but would be seen kind of as a red line by Russia. But in this workaround that they've come up with, with common production, is there any way long range missiles can be built and be ready for delivery in a matter of weeks, if they aren't using part of or all of the technology from a Taurus missile?
SANNER: No. I don't think so. I think it takes longer to set up production lines like that. So I'm not really sure exactly what's going on here, but I think that the chancellor has, you know, he has Russia to deal with. But he also has his domestic coalition. He has his government coalition to deal with and also a lot of the German people are not fully behind this idea of Germany providing what would be the longest range weapons that Ukraine has had, because the Taurus is even further than the ATACMS and hasn't been used really super deep into Russia.
So it would be really a totally new thing. And I think, you know, combined with Merz saying, well, we're not going to say exactly what we're delivering.
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So either they're going to deliver some, you know, on this lie that are actually not producing Ukraine, and they're just going to say that they're produced in Ukraine in order to provide this cover that Germany is not going to war with Russia, which is what the Russians are saying, or it'll take longer. And I'm not sure where exactly we are on that, to be honest.
VAUSE: Germany has come a long way since the beginning of the war in Ukraine back in 2022, when it offered 5,000 ballistic helmets to Ukraine. But this decision to send these long range missiles and work with Ukraine has been far from welcomed in Moscow, which the Kremlin spokesman accusing Germany of simply trying to provoke further war, thus increasing their indirect involvement in this military affair.
It also comes a week after Germany deployed thousands of troops to Lithuania to defend NATO's eastern flank, marking the first time that a German brigade is being based outside Germany on a long term basis since World War II. So put all of this together, how much does it all increase the chances of some kind of covert or overt Russian attack on Germany?
SANNER: It's extremely, you know, zero, you know, point one idea that Russia would do some sort of overt attack on Germany. I mean, honestly, I, you know, it's NATO and Russia has done everything they can to avoid being in a direct fight with NATO. That is not what they want to do. Now, they'll claim that, right? They want to say that because it helps build the rationale for their own war. But, you know, they don't want to go there.
The covert things continue. And I think that these gray zone things are absolutely a threat. And, you know, a serious threat. And they will continue. But that direct kind of overt thing, I think, is very, very low.
VAUSE: On the diplomatic side of all of this as Vladimir Putin continues to drag his feet on these peace talks, the U.S. president has given him a deadline to prove he's actually serious about ceasefire negotiations. Here's Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're going to find out whether or not he's tapping us along or not. And if he is, we'll respond a little bit differently. But it will take about a week and a half, two weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Not too sure what the deadline there actually means, but what will be the fallout if this is just another hollow threat from President Trump?
SANNER: Well, you know, I feel like the chances of sanctions of Trump actually imposing sanctions are pretty low, or at least I think that that's what Putin thinks. Maybe there'll be another round of talks in Istanbul. That's what Russia proposed today for June 2nd. And that they have this peace deal that they're writing, and probably the Trump administration has been informed about them, you know, the details of like, they're waiting this week and a half to two weeks to see this deal that Russia is writing.
But the leaks of what are in -- what is in that deal shows that Putin is not worried about sanctions because it shows a real hardening of Russia's positions. For example, wanting in writing that there can be no further expansion of NATO to the east, including Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, nothing in writing. And that, of course, would be completely against the policy of NATO countries and take all of them to sign that.
VAUSE: Beth, thank you for being with us. Really appreciate your time and your analysis there. Good to see you. Thank you.
SANNER: Thank you.
VAUSE: In a moment here on CNN, hungry Palestinians storm a food warehouse in Gaza with deadly results. This is the second straight day a food distribution point has been overwhelmed and overrun. We'll have the emotional response from the U.N. ambassador to the Palestinian territories in a moment.
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VAUSE: Another day of desperation in Gaza with hundreds of Palestinians storming a U.N. food warehouse. According to the World Food Programme, at least two people were killed, several others were injured. Images from inside the warehouse show many were there grabbing whatever they could find while outside hundreds were sent running as gunfire echoed in the background. And the Israeli-U.S. backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has now suspended operations in Gaza after a distribution point was overran on Tuesday.
Palestinian health officials say one person was shot and killed amid the chaos. Humanitarian aid has resumed at a fraction of what is needed after Israel's 80-day long blockade. And now here's the Palestinian representative to the U.N. on the very real impact of this critical shortage of food.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RIYAD MANSOUR, U.N. AMBASSADOR OF THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Dozen of children are dying of starvation. The images of mothers embracing their motionless bodies, caressing their hair, talking to them, apologizing to them, is unbearable. How could anyone tolerate this horror?
Excuse me, Mr. President. I have grandchildren. I know what they mean to their families and to see this situation of the Palestinians without us having hearts to do something is beyond the ability of any normal human being to tolerate.
[00:20:17]
VAUSE: Riyad Mansour there at the United Nations.
Police in Tel Aviv have arrested dozens of protesters who are demanding the Israeli government do more to secure the release of the remaining hostages still in Gaza. The group stormed the headquarters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, now part of mass demonstrations marking the 600th day of the war. 600 days of captivity for the hostages still there in Gaza.
The party called the protesters far-left anarchists and demanded an investigation and prosecutions. Israeli police say at least one police officer was injured.
Omer Shem Tov was kidnaped by Hamas in the October 7th attack on Israel. He was held in Gaza for more than 500 days. His release came during a temporary ceasefire back in February.
CNN's Bianna Golodryga spoke to him about his time in captivity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OMER SHEM TOV, HELD HOSTAGE IN GAZA FOR 505 DAYS: I wasn't scared from dying from Hamas. I was scared from dying for the -- from my own people, you know, from my own brothers. When I was in the tunnel, I remember the -- those 27 days, the terrorists, they came up to me and they told me, Omar, as soon as we hear them coming close to us, like, if they're above us, if they're exactly above us, we're going to shoot you. You know? So as long as the army is around the hostages, they are in danger. They are in constant fear.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: And you say that and the Israeli government says that it is because of military operations that has led to hostage deals and releases, and that is that military pressure on Hamas that will ultimately lead to a ceasefire-hostage deal. Is that not how you interpret it or experienced it?
SHEM TOV: I do think that all of us wants to end this terrorist organization by the name of Hamas. We want to eliminate them. Yes. But I think there must be a priority, you know. And the priority is the -- it's supposed to be the life of the hostages. Yes. There is human lives on the line.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Twenty hostages are believed to be alive with 38 bodies still being held by Hamas and other terror groups.
Well, a high stakes election where some candidates choose to wear bulletproof vests and travel in armored vehicles just to get out on the streets and campaign. Our report from Mexico in a moment.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
The U.S. Court of International Trade has blocked most of Donald Trump's global tariffs. In a unanimous ruling Wednesday, a three judge panel halted the president's 30 percent tariffs on China, 25 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, and 10 percent universal tariffs, saying he lacks the authority to impose them under a national emergency order. The Trump administration immediately appealed the ruling.
Elon Musk's time as a special government employee is coming to an end. White House official says the Tesla CEO was to begin the offboarding process Wednesday night. Musk had recently signaled he's stepping away from politics to resume his duties at Tesla. He thanked the president in a post on X, which he owns, adding, the DOGE mission, quote, "will only strengthen over time."
And a person is missing after a wave of ice, rock and mud buried part of a village in the Swiss Alps. Officials say it happened after a huge chunk of nearby glacier broke off on Wednesday, sending debris down the mountain. Luckily, roughly 300 residents of the village had been evacuated last week over fears of an avalanche.
Mexico's judicial system is on the verge of a massive shakeup with the first ever judicial elections this Sunday, with 900 positions nationwide decided by popular vote. Well, the move is meant to fight judicial corruption. Critics are warning it could have the opposite effect. Still, for those who decide to run in this election, it can be extremely dangerous like most elections are in Mexico.
But as David Culver reports, it's not just the candidates who are taking extreme measures to stay safe.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What do you take out when you're doing something? Everything comes out?
MOKOTOV: It's going to be like this.
CULVER: (Voice-over): Across Mexico fear is fueling a push for personal protection.
MOKOTOV: This door if you want to take a shot from inside and this door is like escape door.
CULVER: An escape door?
MOKOTOV: If you add.
CULVER (voice-over): For 16 years, Gadi Mokotov's company has armored vehicles for Mexico's police, military, government officials, VIPs.
MOKOTOV: This is a level five.
CULVER: But now he says he's getting more and more requests from lower-level politicians and even from those who work for those elected officials.
So you're seeing staffers now say we need armored cars, too.
MOKOTOV: One of them.
CULVER: This is a staffer.
(Voice-over): Spending tens of thousands of dollars not for status, but survival.
[00:30:04]
MOKOTOV: It's not nice to see a man coming here. And, you know, I need to protect my sons. But they're afraid. They're scared of the -- of the kids.
CULVER: What does that say about the state of security right now in this country?
MOKOTOV: The people, it's scared. Scared to go to the streets.
CULVER: And it was here on this street where, just last week, two close aides of Mexico City's mayor were gunned down. You can see they still have flowers and a memorial left behind for them.
It happened just as the morning commute was getting underway.
CULVER (voice-over): Violent crime in the capital, including murders and kidnappings, is up more than 150 percent compared to this time last year, that, according to El Pais. We've reached out to Mexico City officials to verify those numbers.
All of this comes on the heels of Mexico's most violent election cycle in history. Leading up to the 2024 elections, at least 37 political candidates were assassinated, with more than 800 attacks on campaign staff, officials, and their families.
And yet, this democracy forges ahead.
CULVER: Have you ever run for office?
CESAR GUTIERREZ PRIEGO, LAWYER AND CANDIDATE FOR JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT: No. For anything. I've always been in a private practice. So --
CULVER: So, this is all new to you?
PRIEGO: Of course. I don't know. Not.
CULVER (voice-over): Cesar Gutierrez Priego allows us in just after he wakes up, but before he suits up for the day.
CULVER: You've been wearing this for 45 days?
PRIEGO: Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Even -- doesn't smell very good. But it's -- it's something that I needed to do it, because I have to protect myself. I have two kids, and I don't want to be just another number.
CULVER (voice-over): He knows the dangers. Years ago, his family was kidnaped and tortured by organized crime. At the time, his father was Mexico's top anti-drug official.
Now, Cesar says he's running to fix the system from within. He's one of 64 candidates vying for a seat on Mexico's Supreme Court, now being decided by popular vote for the first time. And that means meeting voters.
CULVER: So, he's been walking this street here with a crowd that's kind of grown as he's continued along.
CULVER (voice-over): But aside from his vest, Cesar chooses not to hire bodyguards. He thinks a heavy security detail can make you too insulated, out of touch.
PRIEGO: Because they don't know the reality that the people is living. (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
CULVER (voice-over): And while more focused on combating corruption, Cesar believes the streets are actually getting safer.
CULVER: You don't think it's as bad as it's being portrayed right now?
PRIEGO: I don't even think; I know.
CULVER: He's even praised President Claudia Sheinbaum's recent crackdown, which some say was triggered by President Trump, who's been pressuring Mexico to do more to secure this country and the border.
CULVER (voice-over): But many voters see it differently.
CULVER: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) How's the -- how's the situation?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
CULVER: "As far as crime is concerned, it's bad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
CULVER: He says even with security, police all around us doesn't make you really feel any safer. Because criminal elements can seep in at any moment.
CULVER (voice-over): It's no surprise that so many are turning to armor, desperate for any sense of safety.
And outside, a line of cars waiting for their turn.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Time for a very short pause here on CNN. We'll be right back after a very short break. You're watching CNN.
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VAUSE: While many around the world were left clutching their pearls after France's first lady was seen pushing her husband in the face, in France, this viral moment has come and gone in an instant.
CNN's Saskya Vandoorne explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A very public display of affection in Jakarta. Just days earlier, an entirely different moment, a quick shove caught on camera and instantly viral.
International media and social media seizing on the moment amid questions of what caused the shove from France's first lady and her refusal to take her husband's hand walking down the stairs of the plane.
But in France, it was old news by morning, perhaps due to the country's long-standing tradition of shielding the private lives of public figures: where former President Francois Mitterrand's secret daughter with his longtime mistress was hidden from public view for years, and where former President Francois Hollande's secret relationship with a French actress caused a stir but quickly faded from the headlines.
FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, FORMER FRENCH PRESIDENT: Private affairs are dealt in private.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): That same rule applied when the Macrons' intimate moment went global.
Their love story was never ordinary. He was 15. She, his drama teacher, married with three children. According to an old school friend, Macron avoided girls his own age.
JEAN-BAPTISTE DE FROMENT, MACRON FRIEND FROM SCHOOL: They were maybe too young to -- to -- to be interesting for him.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): Fourteen years later, they married, but not before Macron sought the approval of Brigitte's children, one of whom was his age. [00:40:00]
TIPHAINE AUZIERE, BRIGITTE TROGNEUX'S DAUGHTER (through translator): It was a powerful act. Not everyone would have asked us first, but he wanted to know if we could accept it.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): In 2017, their bond became campaign material: a modern, glamorous French love story. But some say that over time, that image has worn.
After the shove, they made a show of unity, hand in hand on the streets of Hanoi.
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): We were in the middle of bickering and rather joking with my wife, and I'm surprised by how this becomes a kind of geo-planetary catastrophe.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): Whether it's a kiss in Jakarta or a shove in Vietnam, every moment fuels the story. In a country that once prized discretion, the president is finding it harder to keep his private life out of the spotlight.
Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. I'll be back with more news at the top of the hour. In the meantime, please stay with us. WORLD SPORTS starts after a short break.
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