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Thousands Of No Kings Rallies Planned Across All 50 States; Interview with Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA); 3,100+ "No Kings" Rallies Planned Across All 50 States; Border Czar: ICE May Move Into Newly Trained Airport Jobs Today; CPAC Reveals 2028 Presidential Candidate Favorite. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired March 28, 2026 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:39]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York. Jessica Dean has the night off.

We're going to start this hour with breaking news. Massive demonstrations are happening across the country today as protesters take to the streets to speak out against President Donald Trump's policies.

This is a look at Chicago right now. But really, country wide, more than 3,000 so-called No Kings rallies are set to take place in major cities, suburbs and small towns around the United States.

One of those cities we are following is here in Minneapolis-St. Paul area. This one in particular is St. Paul. You see how many people are gathered there on what is -- and a place that has really been the center of a lot of what people are protesting over the course of this year.

This is the third No Kings rally since President Trump returned to the White House. And last year, organizers reported that millions of people attended the two previous No Kings protests. And since the last rally, the U.S. has entered into a war with Iran, prompting economic uncertainty and surging gas prices. And many cities have also watched the Trump administration's hardline immigration operations play out firsthand.

I want to go to where these pictures are unfolding to CNN's Shimon Prokupecz. He's on the ground in St. Paul, Minnesota.

So, Shimon, we just saw a little bit of what you're seeing from the air. We can see how many people are there. But can you give us a sense of what you're seeing and hearing on the ground?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: No, it's literally as you can see. We have a drone shot up. This is from the event organizers. You could see there's just thousands and thousands and thousands of people and more people have been streaming in. It was a chilly morning, but the sun is out now. And, you know, for Minnesota, this is almost summer weather. People here are just happy to feel the sun, to be out, to be together.

We just heard from the boss, Bruce Springsteen, performed that song about Minneapolis that he wrote in the aftermath of the Renee Good and Alex Pretti killings. And really, when he was singing, the emotion from the crowd, you could feel it. Some people were crying. Some of the loudest applauses, some of the loudest cheers came when he hit the parts of the song, when he would sing ICE out.

And of course, that is because people of Minnesota, the people of Minneapolis, have felt the administration's policies against immigration no harder has it been felt than -- for the people here in Minneapolis, and we're seeing that and we're feeling that, and we're seeing signs of courage and signs of empathy, something that many feel this administration, with their policies has been lacking.

And so people are just here to be together and to listen to many of the speeches. We heard from Governor Walz. I've been talking to people here on the street, and I want to bring in one woman I spoke to, Rachel.

Hi, Rachel.

RACHEL, NO KINGS RALLY PARTICIPANT: Hi.

PROKUPECZ: Tell us. Tell us about your costume. Don't be shy. You could show it, I know you were telling me it's a little ridiculous, but explain to me the importance of this and why you're doing this.

RACHEL: Yes, I just came out today to really show absolute patriotism and love for our country. This is a screaming eagle. And I'm wearing the flag and I've got a, you know, a sign about patriotism, but this is really about showing up to just say that we love the United States. We love Minnesota. And more than anything, we want liberty and justice for every single person.

PROKUPECZ: You're from Minneapolis.

RACHEL: I am.

PROKUPECZ: What was it like living there during this time of such force that we saw from the administration and those ICE officers and immigration officers?

RACHEL: I got to say, in my life, I've never seen any kind of brutality and horrible behavior that we saw in the last few months, not only in Minnesota, anywhere in this country. And it's just simply unacceptable across the board. And it's not the kind of citizenship we want to see from any American, and certainly not for our children.

Having our kids look at the television and ask us, you know, why, why does the president talk about us this way? Why does the vice president talk about us this way? Why are agents acting like this? It's scary and it's violent and horrible.

[16:05:00] PROKUPECZ: What about the people who were your neighbors and the way in which they reacted to everything and ultimately in the peaceful protests? What do you want to say about that?

RACHEL: It's the one bright spot I'm going to say, out of all of this is all of our community members really coming together, loving on each other, supporting each other. I've hugged more Minnesotans in the last three months than I have in the last 30 years. It's just absolutely wonderful how all of us have come together, understanding that we have an outside force right now with the federal government that was trying to come in and rip us apart.

PROKUPECZ: Yes, well, the sun is shining certainly. I'm sure that's a relief.

RACHEL: Yes.

PROKUPECZ: Thank you. Thank you for doing this and joining me. So thank you.

RACHEL: Thank you. Have a great day.

PROKUPECZ: OK. OK. Thanks.

So, yes, Omar, that's sort of been a lot of what we're hearing from people out here today. They're just happy that they were able to do what they did in their protests and the peaceful protests. They felt, they feel really brought about the change that we have seen from the administration, certainly on the ICE policies.

JIMENEZ: Yes. I mean, Minneapolis-St. Paul area, really the most forceful response we saw from any community in the midst of those increased immigration enforcement crackdowns.

Shimon Prokupecz on the ground, then also on the ground now reporting, appreciate you being here.

Chicago is another one of those cities where there's been an immigration crackdown. And we also saw intense pushback from the communities.

Veronica Miracle is on the ground downtown at the moment where people are gathered.

And Veronica, I know it's hard to hear right now in the midst of all these protesters, but what are you seeing and hearing at the moment?

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Omar, they just got done with a very long event with a lot of speakers. So we just started marching. The crowd is really pumped up and there's a lot of people here who are here to make their voices heard.

What I found very interesting about this crowd here in Chicago is a lot of people are dressed up. There are a lot of sides, including these folks right behind me here, a group of friends who all have different variations of their opinions here, including we've got a Yoda. No, no, no, this is not the way. Tell me about the inspiration behind this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am a big, big fan of Grogu and his powers, and we're here today to say no war, no ICE and no Trump. Hence the no, no, no.

MIRACLE: OK. All right. And right over here, what do we have? "We're through with your spew." And then how long did this take to build for you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it took all week long, but it was therapeutic for me. Notice the little golden babies at top. I think that's the highlight of this costume.

MIRACLE: So you guys are really kind of taking the more comedic approach through a really serious time of course. You said this is therapeutic, but tell us what issues brought you here today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, geez. Where do we even start? Oh. Well, I say Chicago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every day, man. Every day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The lies, the lies, lies, the war. Women.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The nonsense.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The nonsense.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. My God. And --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Release the files. Oh, my gosh.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's just a terrible person and we need to get rid of him. That's --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. he got to go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's it.

MIRACLE: All right. Well, that's certainly the sentiment that we heard from a lot of people today. Thank you so much for your time.

We've got Jesus in the back there. I just want to give Jesus a shout- out who came all the way from Los Angeles. So thank you. Any thoughts about why you decided to come from L.A. all the way to Chicago to be at this march?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I lived in Chicago for a long time, and so it's important to me to be near the people who kind of embody community the most for me. And that's some of my old friends back here in Chicago. And it's a stronghold and I'm proud to be here and represent.

MIRACLE: All right. Thank you so much. So obviously a very peaceful crowd and a very joyful crowd here to

really make their voices heard. And a lot of volunteers, hundreds of volunteers who are here to make sure that they're going to deescalate any violence. But it really doesn't seem like there's going to be any issues as of now. Of course, we just got started and we're going to go march all the way around the city.

Back to you, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Yes, I was going to say I've covered many of those protests, those types of protests in Chicago. And they usually get marching through the downtown area, past Trump Tower. So we'll keep an eye on the protest developments as you continue to cover them.

Veronica Miracle, really appreciate it.

I also, I also want to show people what's going on in New York City because massive crowds are also marching through the streets there as CNN's Donie O'Sullivan is.

So, Donie, I know you've been marching. You've been walking. What are you hearing from protesters right now?

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Omar. Yes, I mean, this demonstration really taking over midtown Manhattan. We just walked through Times Square. Many of these people marched from Central Park. So down 20 or 30 blocks, and no sign of this demonstration ending. What we've been hearing from people is the whole range of issues, but primarily many people here holding anti-ICE signs, others holding signs protesting the Iran war.

[16:10:08]

But also just a lot of people, you know, talking about and protesting what they view as American democracy under threat, as well as there being just many New Yorkers and people from all over the country here today, a lot of recognizable faces turned out as well, including Robert De Niro and also the activist and actress and former candidate for governor of New York, Cynthia Nixon. And we spoke to her. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYNTHIA NIXON, ACTRESS AND FORMER NEW YORK DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's really important for us to show up. I think it's important for us to show up in New York. I think it's important for us to show up across the country, in big cities and small towns. And I think it's important for people to show up across the world. I think that -- I think that the rest of the world looks at us and is so horrified by what's happening and can't believe that we've elected this man and that we're going along with it, and we have to show out, as we're doing today, in record numbers, to say, this is not OK with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP) O'SULLIVAN: And so, Omar, obviously, the organizers of this demonstration hoping that the mobilization we see here on the streets of Manhattan today, and of course, of course, across all the country translates into votes and people showing up at the polls to vote in the upcoming midterms and of course the 2028 presidential election -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: Yes, I mean, this isn't the first No Kings rally that we've seen produced really the amount of people we're seeing right now. A lot of people in cities across the country. But of course, the question is how much of that will translate to the ballot box? We will see come midterms.

Donie O'Sullivan, appreciate the reporting.

We also want to show you what things are looking like in Philadelphia right now. Several thousand people have taken over Center City there as CNN affiliate KYW says some protesters drove from as far as two hours away to be there.

This is the first No Kings rally since the start of the war in Iran, and many held signs speaking out against Trump's policies and U.S. airstrikes in the Middle East. And it's not just the large metro areas. We mentioned some of the smaller cities. Protests are spreading to places like this one in Columbus, Georgia, where one protester says she does not want to see the oppressive practices from her home country repeated in the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I grew up in a fascist country with a dictator who tore our country apart, and I married an American and came to this country after that, and Trump is a fascist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: So we've talked big cities, we talked small cities, some Americans living overseas as well are also protesting against President Trump. Here's the scene in Madrid where about 100 U.S.. citizens joined other demonstrators, and it's being called the "No Tyrants" rally overseas, likely because, I mean, Spain has a constitutional monarchy. But rallies are also taking place in Italy, Germany, France and Rome.

Demonstrators held up a -- this massive banner saying for "A World Free from Afar." So we're going to continue watching some of these protests, not just globally, but, of course, here in the United States as well. But we also want to get you updated on some of the other news going on. It's been a remarkable 24 hours in Washington.

The Senate passes a plan to end the partial government shutdown, and then the House passes a different plan. And then both chambers went on vacation. So what now? We'll talk about it next.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[16:18:07]

JIMENEZ: Congress has left town after failing to move forward on the Senate's bipartisan agreement to end the shutdown and the airport disruptions. And early Friday morning, the Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan funding deal to fund TSA, leaving ICE and Customs and Border Protection alone for now.

But last night, the House GOP immediately rejected that bill, approving an entirely different plan that fully funds DHS for eight weeks. And Speaker Mike Johnson directly challenging his Senate GOP counterpart, while also blaming Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): It is unconscionable to me that the Democrats would force some sort of negotiation at 3:00 in the morning and try to hoist this upon the American people and then get on their jets and go home for their holiday and pretend and think that we're going to go along with that. So we're going to do something different. We're going to do the responsible thing. Republicans are going to continue to govern.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now the House GOP is urging the Senate to come back from recess to approve the plan. But that plan is going nowhere in the Senate. And regardless of what Congress does, the president has issued an executive order that TSA employees be paid immediately, but he didn't provide any details on where those funds are coming from. Potentially the exact timing as well.

I want to bring in Democratic Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts. He's a member of the House Armed Services and Transportation Committees. He's also a Marine Corps veteran serving four tours during the Iraq war.

Congressman, thank you for your service and for your time today. I want to ask you about Iran in a moment, but I just want to start with what are you hearing from Democratic leadership on the path forward in regards to the shutdown?

REP. SETH MOULTON (D-MA): I mean, it's just amazing how completely unserious Mike Johnson is. I mean, he could say that with a straight face when it was a unanimous bipartisan deal that came out of the Senate to move this funding forward. And he just rejected it. Just rejected it out of hand. Didn't even give us a vote on the Senate deal.

[16:20:03]

I mean, if he wanted to vote on his Freedom Caucus-Tea Party deal, sure, go ahead, have it. But we should have voted on the Senate deal as well. And there just should be no doubt in people's minds right now that this is a Republican shutdown because in 48 hours, the Republicans in the House reject this bipartisan, unanimous deal from the Senate. And Donald Trump also says he's just going to pay TSA employees anyway. So if you're going to pay them anyway, what were you doing for the last several weeks, Mr. President?

JIMENEZ: Well, and I will say, just from the outside in, you know, we've been talking to passengers stranded at airports, we've heard from TSA agents who have had to do all sorts of things to things to make ends meet. From the outside looking in while you've been in this standoff over immigration enforcement reform, it's been well over a month, and I understand there are some proposals Democrats have put forward that Republicans have rejected, but also vice versa.

And with this bill, you're still not getting the immigration enforcement reforms that were sort of at the center of all of this. Has this fight been worth it politically?

MOULTON: Well, absolutely. Because what's important is we've put a stop to American citizens getting killed in the streets by ICE because we've put that entire organization on notice that they have to change their way of doing business. And so you're right, we haven't quite gotten the Republicans to agree to the common sense reforms that the vast majority of Americans support, because whether you're a Republican or Democrat, you do not want American citizens getting killed for exercising their First Amendment rights.

So even though Republicans haven't actually just wised up and made those reforms, at least we've prevented some -- let me just say we've reduced the level of violence from ICE, and that should matter to every American.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, it's part of what people are protesting out in these No Kings protests today. Another thing they're protesting is against the war in Iran right now. And Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that more troops are being deployed to the Middle East because President Trump has to be prepared for multiple contingencies.

You were briefed this week. Do you know what these contingencies are, or do you have a sense of the strategy here?

MOULTON: No. But what's more frightening is that I'm quite convinced the administration doesn't know either. And they have never had a strategy from the very beginning. And Marco Rubio says the president has to be prepared for contingencies. Well, these are contingencies that maybe they should have thought about before starting another war of choice in the Middle East, because it's painfully obvious that they have been grossly unprepared, that they didn't think through any of the obvious things that could happen here, like Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz.

And as a result, Trump is now losing his war. He started a war that nobody wanted, that we don't need to have, that our troops don't need to die for. And now, amazingly, he's actually losing it. If he were to stop the war tonight, America, we would have to sue for peace with the Iranians to get them to reopen the strait, which of course was open before Trump started his war.

JIMENEZ: Do you think the United States is headed towards some form of boots on the ground here?

MOULTON: I can't predict the mind of the president, but sadly, it seems that. It seems that way. And it is -- having been a Marine on a ship headed to the Middle East twice in my life, when a lot of us disagreed with the war, but at least we had a plan. I cannot imagine being one of those Marines or paratroopers headed to the Middle East today, knowing that the commander-in-chief is lying every single day about why we're even there.

There's no strategy. There's no plan, and there's no end game whatsoever. So in other words, these troops are going to be asked to risk their lives for literally nothing, just to try to undo a horrible mistake that the president has made without any clear plan to even get ourselves out of it.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, one of the things that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked about as well was about reports that the United States could divert weapons away from the Middle East, saying -- or divert weapons, excuse me, away from Ukraine to the Middle East, saying it could happen, but hasn't yet.

And I just wonder, what do you see as the impact the war in Iran is having on the Ukraine-Russia war?

MOULTON: Well, it's hurting the Ukraine-Russia war, but the even bigger risk is that it's hurting our ability to deter China from starting a war over Taiwan that could literally turn into World War III. And on both sides of the aisle for a long time, we've agreed that China is the number one national security threat to the United States because they could draw us into a major war and deterring and preventing that war has to be our number one priority.

And what we have just delivered to Xi Jinping, care of Donald Trump, is an amazing gift because American troops are tied down in a war of choice in the Middle East. We're spending all of our munitions, and I think we're also starting to sap the will of the American people to put up with this.

[16:25:08]

Those are all three gifts for Xi Jinping. And so the risk that he actually starts a war in the Pacific, that we could get drawn into whether we want to or not, and yet we're now fully unprepared for because of what Trump is doing with Iran, that should concern every American. And it certainly frightens me as a member of the Armed Services Committee in Congress.

JIMENEZ: We'll be tracking these developments as they come in over the course of today and beyond.

Congressman Seth Moulton, appreciate the time and perspective. Thanks for being here.

MOULTON: Good to see you.

JIMENEZ: All right. When we come back, the latest on the No Kings rallies that are underway in all 50 states and even abroad. We'll explain coming up.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: Thousands of no kings protests are happening now across the country. You're taking a live look at Portland, Oregon, right now, where we've been seeing some marches. Again, similar to what we've seen in across the United States, as organizers say, millions of people in all 50 states are protesting against President Trump's policies, rising prices, and the war in Iran. You can see some of the signs there. We'll continue to keep you updated, not just on that, but in places across the country.

Let's go to the Midwest, for example. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is at a rally in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and joins us now. So, Shimon, I know you've been talking to protesters on the ground there. What have you been seeing? What is the latest there right now?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's pretty incredible moment here, Omar. I was just talking to a woman who said she's 27 years old. And she was telling me this was the first protest that she's ever been to, and just how happy she was. And she was smiling. And she was just happy to be able to be part of this.

Right now, Bernie Sanders is on stage. And people are cheering some of the loudest cheers we're hearing from the days when Bernie Sanders was up there saying, No Kings, No Kings. And there was just this loud applause from the crowd.

We heard from Bruce Springsteen. That was a big moment here when he performed a song about Minneapolis. People are starting to leave here.

But as you can see from the pictures that we've been showing, I mean, there are thousands and thousands and thousands of people out here that are lining through the state capital. They've taken over the entire grounds around here, the outside, the inside, some of the other streets, just listening to some of the speeches.

You know, from the people of Minnesota, certainly the people of Minneapolis, this is a day for them to remember two people they lost of their -- of their city -- of their state. Renee Good and Alex Pretti. And we're hearing a lot about that. We're hearing a lot about the immigration policy.

And so much of the change that occurred, sadly, because of what happened here. And so, the people here are united, they say. They're going to keep fighting. And certainly, they're not stopping their fight now. They want to see a lot of change -- further change. And the big thing here that we're hearing a lot from folks is about voting and getting out there and making that change at the ballot box. JIMENEZ: Well, that's a big thing. You know, we've seen so many people out on the streets, but what -- how will that translate to the ballot box? And as you pointed out -- I mean, people in Minneapolis and Saint Paul areas have been protesting for months now and consistent numbers, even -- I know it's a summer type of cold there right now.

PROKUPECZ: Yes.

JIMENEZ: But even in what was negative degrees, you saw thousands of people out on the streets. Shimon Prokupecz, really appreciate the reporting. I've been mentioning we've been trying to keep you updated on rallies and protests across the country. And here in New York City, celebrities and elected officials, thousands of others, too, are joining the No Kings movement in New York.

CNN's Donie O'Sullivan has been in the middle of all of it. Donny, you've been talking to folks. I saw you talking to Cynthia Nixon earlier, Harry Sisson, before that. You're somehow finding people in the crowd. I never doubted you to begin with. But what are you seeing now?

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Omar. Yes, this demonstration is still making its way through downtown Manhattan -- through midtown Manhattan. And I'm here with Jerry Barry, who joined the demonstration. But after seeing the matinee show of Hamilton today.

JERRY BARRY, PROTESTOR: Hamilton, right. Hamilton. Showing our democracy and our pride with what Hamilton wanted to start from the beginning.

O'SULLIVAN: Tell us why you're here today, Jerry.

BARRY: Oh, I think we have to send a message to the government about how upsetting it is, the things that are being done. And that in things are important. And no kings. We're wanting to make it our message to.

O'SULLIVAN: And it's -- yes, it's America -- the United States' 250th birthday.

BARRY: Yes.

O'SULLIVAN: You went to see Hamilton today. What did you come away from that play thinking?

BARRY: Oh, how proud we are that we have so many people throughout history that have stood up for the rights that we have, and freedom, and treating other people appropriately. And it's now being not done in our government the way it should be done. And it's in heartwarming to see this -- the show, but then it's even more heartwarming to come out and walk in the parade with everyone.

And there are so many people here. It's been going on for hours here, and it's still many, many, many people behind us.

O'SULLIVAN: And you packed your sign and brought it to the show as well.

BARRY: I wrote these at home, yes, and put it in my little bag and went to the show with it. I was so glad when I came out, I could use it.

O'SULLIVAN: Thank you very much for speaking to us, Jerry. I appreciate it. Thank you.

BARRY: Thanks, Donie.

O'SULLIVAN: So, as you hear there, Omar, people coming here for various reasons. We see many anti-ICE signs, signs protesting the Iran war. But overall, just so many people speaking about their belief that American democracy is under threat. Back to you.

[16:35:08]

JIMENEZ: That guy having a very American day, going from Hamilton, stepping right out into a protest as well. Donie O'Sullivan, good to see you. Stay safe out there.

As I've been mentioning, we've been following these marches happening across the country. Another big rally in Los Angeles, across the country. It's about to start. We'll take you there. Next. This is San Francisco, actually, but we'll take you across the country.

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[16:40:10]

JIMENEZ: All right. With massive No Kings protests already underway across much of the country, we've been keeping an eye on all of it. Including here in Houston, as people are marching with what looks to be like the Constitution, we the people, huge one. How the Constitution starts, the preamble there. So, we're going to continue to monitor what's happening there.

But I also want to bring in CNN's Julia Vargas Jones, who joins us from Los Angeles, where protests there are just getting started, you know, three hours behind the East Coast there. So, what are you seeing? Already seems like there's a lot of people gathering there.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of people gathering here, Omar. Right now behind me, there's a salsa band. It wouldn't be Los Angeles if there wasn't a little bit of salsa happening over here. People are dancing. They're just getting warmed up for the different speakers that will start and then set them off.

A lot of different organizations here with a lot of different mandates. We're seeing, as we heard in other cities, a lot of signs that say ICE out. Of course, Los Angeles, also heavily affected by those ICE raids last summer, back in June. So, we are hearing a lot of that, a lot of signs that say ICE out of Los Angeles, send ICE to Iran.

Very creative. People still trickling in. But what I want to show you is this massive 20-foot helium balloon that will be brought over to the protest area momentarily. This is a depiction of -- yes, yes, it is, of President Donald Trump in a diaper.

And I want to bring in J-roe here. He is one of the organizers. He's the one responsible for all of this. J-roe, tell me a little bit of what is going on here. What are we looking at?

J-ROE, ORGANIZER, BABY TRUMP TOUR: What we're -- what we're looking at is the West Coast baby Trump with his not-so-brand-new necklace, which we just got on at the end of his inflation. Baby Trump literally is breaking apart at the seams. That's why it's taking longer than usual.

JONES: So, you're patching him up. You've been -- you've been working him for a while.

J-RO: We've been patching -- we've never had to patch him on site. And he was -- he's been very good to us for a long time.

JONES: Why did -- why -- what's the deal with the baby?

J-ROE: Why now?

JONES: Why the diaper?

J-ROE: I think baby is feeling the heat. Not the -- not the heat of our sun today, because it was warm when we warmed him up. But I -- as the only -- the only -- shoot, as the only person who doesn't like him. It's trying to get rid of everything he doesn't like. I'm a little concerned.

JONES: Well, what is the significance behind the diaper and having him in this baby?

J-ROE: Well, this was a genius idea that came to us from Britain. Those many years ago in 2017. In 2018, some friends in Bedminster, New Jersey -- you may recognize a golf course by that name-- thought we need some baby Trumps here. So, calling themselves the Baby Trump Tour, they had six, made brought six over, four survived, two were stabbed.

JONES: Two were stabbed. Well, we hope that doesn't hurt anybody here today. What have been the reaction?

J-ROE: It's not going to happen -- it's not going to happen. 50501 is the best group that I've seen at engaging peaceful protesting. Its -- I've been doing a lot these last nine years. I have never felt safer than with these guys.

JONES: Just show me around a little bit here, where you just to like get a sense of the size of this. This is going to be a 20-foot --

J-ROE: Can you -- just a second.

JONES: 20 feet in the air. They've been trying to turn this around and put clearly this LGBT flag rainbow necklace on this baby giant balloon. That's going to be brought over all the way down to that massive party that's going on down there, Omar, where most of the people are gathering, will continue to gather in this very, very hot Los Angeles day.

JIMENEZ: We've seen a Constitution being carried. We're now seeing a baby Trump balloon. It seems like they're getting ready to get it going. So, we're going to stay close to you. See once that gets in the air. But clearly, people across the country out on the streets in full force today. Julia Vargas Jones for us in Los Angeles, appreciate it.

All right. Meanwhile, after missing two straight paychecks, TSA workers have been told they could start receiving back pay as soon as Monday. We're going to talk to one TSA worker about it next, see what they know right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[16:49:30]

JIMENEZ: There's a new promise of potential relief. We're going to get to those stories in a little bit. But as you see, we've been following these No Kings Protests in places across the country. This is Chicago with the abolish ICE. Chicago says No Kings signs right at the front. So, we'll continue to monitor what these things are looking like in places across the country.

But the relief I was talking about before could potentially come at some of the country's airports. Now, air travelers again, working their way through long lines to reach TSA checkpoints. And this morning, Border Czar Tom Homan told Fox News that ICE agents may be moving into new jobs with new training at airports as soon as today. Now, Homan wasn't clear what those new jobs will be, but here's what he said when asked if ICE agents were wreaking havoc at airports.

[16:50:18]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, WHITE HOUSE BORDER CZAR: No. ICE agents have been helping our brothers and sisters in TSA. And, you know, the airport I went to yesterday, the lines already decreased. They're not where they need to be, but the plan is in place.

ICE agents need to be trained in certain aspects. That training is ongoing. Matter of fact, I think today, a lot more ICE agents are being released into those jobs because they spent the last few days doing that training. So, look, the federal security director there and the TSA minister are all over this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: I want to bring in George Borek now. He is a TSA officer and a steward for the union representing them. And, George, I just want to start with asking you. Do you know what these additional ICE agents will be doing? What training they've received? What have you been told? GEORGE BOREK, UNION STEWARD & TSA OFFICER: Well, you know, I can only speak what we're -- what we're seeing in Atlanta. The officers that are there, they have been trained by TSA, the same amount of hours that we do to train our officers to check passports and IDs, at the first -- when they first arrived to the checkpoint.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, I think we're showing some images there from Hartsfield-Jackson of ICE agents, helping out -- what seems to be helping out in some of the services there. And, you know, part of the reason they were brought in is sort of been this idea of helping ease the load on the work that you all are doing. And what has been the impact after one week of ICE agents at U.S. airports? Have they been helpful to -- in easing the workload for you all?

BOREK: Listen, let me -- let me say that, yes, they've been helping us, you know. Ideally, in a perfect situation, you know, we'd like to have our own TSA officers there doing that job. But in light of what's going on and the unknown of every day, whether there's going to be any officers coming in due to their furlough -- I mean, certainly they've helped, you know. But certainly, you know, like anything else, you know, we want to get our officers back.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Yes. And I want to ask about that because obviously, look, we've got hundreds of TSA officers that have quit over the past -- over more than a month at this point. And on the question of pay here, there does seem to be some confusion over whether TSA agents are going to get paid anytime soon. I just want you to listen to what one agent in Florida told CNN this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OKSANA KELLY, AGENT, TSA: There is uncertainty for sure. And when we will get paid, what we're being told is we expected to start seeing paychecks this following Monday. But just like last time, it took some people a couple of months to finally get their time card corrected and get finally paid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Do you know anything about that that could help end this confusion? What are you hearing on your end?

BOREK: Well, listen, I can say as myself being an officer in Atlanta, yes, I did receive a e-mail yesterday from TSA saying that they're going to try to give us our back pay for the third, fourth, fifth pay periods that were supposed to get something in our -- in our accounts on the 30. So, we're cautiously optimistic, but were hoping that that comes to fruition.

JIMENEZ: All right. I know you all have been working hard there at Hartsfield-Jackson. That's my hometown airport. Been in and out of there many times. And I know it's not an easy place to operate, but I appreciate the work you all have been doing under these circumstances. George Borek, thank you for taking the time.

BOREK: Thank you, Omar. JIMENEZ: All right. Meanwhile, the next presidential election, 955 days away. Who's counting, though? And -- but I will say we're getting a new look at who might be the GOP favorite in 2028. We'll talk about it coming up here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[16:58:38]

JIMENEZ: It's the fourth and final day of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, as it's known, is recognized as the largest and most influential gathering of conservatives in the country. And we're learning a little bit about who they have in mind to be the next Republican presidential candidate for 2028. Feels like a long time away, but it'll come fast. CNN's Steve Contorno joins us now from outside Dallas. So, Steve, what can you tell us? What did you see there?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes. Omar, the poll results were just released moments ago. And no surprise, Vice President JD Vance comes out on top of the poll. He is obviously the top heir apparent to the president.

But somewhat of a surprise, Secretary of State Marco Rubio finished second in this poll, behind JD Vance. 53 percent for JD Vance. 35 percent for Marco Rubio.

That is quite interesting because a year ago, Rubio registered just a handful of votes in this poll, and Vance was the overwhelming favorite. No one was nearly as close to him as Rubio was in this poll. And to think that this is a group that ten years ago was pretty sour on Rubio overall. He was considered an establishment figure. These are more of the conservative base.

But he has won over a lot of Trump supporters. And it's something we heard again and again throughout the week as we talked to CPAC attendees. Take a listen to some of what they told us about.

[17:00:09]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 1: As much as I would like to say someone like Vance, I just -- I hate seeing the president and vice president run. I want someone new and different. Someone younger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 2: I don't really like Vance. I think Pete Hegseth doesn't really know what he's doing. Trump -- well, he can't run, obviously. But I think Marco Rubio is the only person in the administration or I would support going into 2028.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 3: But I voted for Vance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE 1: I would go with Vance, too. I like Rubio, too. They'd make a good team. Too bad they couldn't both be president, you know. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE 2: I think Vance is in the position. And I don't think it would be wise for Rubio and his supporters to try to jump ahead of Vance, because I don't think they -- this is just my opinion that Vance, I don't think he'll run for VP again. I mean, he expects to be president, and he should be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now, the popular viewpoint among a lot of those people I spoke was that Vance and Rubio should be on a ticket together. And to that point, no one else came close to Rubio and Vance in this poll. Ron DeSantis in third place at just two percent. Omar.

JIMENEZ: Well, it's interesting, sort of contrasting what that poll looked like a year ago to what it looked like now. I think dictated by a lot of what we've seen in Secretary of State Marco Rubio's orbit at this point. Steve Contorno, appreciate the reporting. Thanks for being there.

All right, everybody, the next hour of NEWSROOM starts right now.