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Isa Soares Tonight
Mark Carney Vows to Win Trade Wars with U.S.; Trump Says Economy Will See "Period of Transition"; Palestinian Activist Arrested by ICE; Greenland Getting Ready to Vote; Celebrating Commonwealth Day. Aired 2:00- 3p ET
Aired March 10, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
RICHARD QUEST, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: It is a Monday and you are most welcome, I am Richard Quest in for Isa Soares. Tonight, so the scene is
set. Marco Rubio and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are in Jeddah in Saudi, and the peace talks begin tomorrow. President Trump refuses to rule out a
recession, and the markets give their reaction. The trade war chaos continues, the Dow is off sharply.
And Canada's next Prime Minister, Mark Carney, he'll lead the Liberals into the election while standing up to the White House. And so, we begin in
Saudi Arabia where the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the United States wants to know what concessions Kyiv is willing to make during the
critical talks to end Russia's war.
Rubio arrived in Jeddah a short time ago where he's holding discussions with Ukrainian officials. Those talks begin on Tuesday. He says the U.S. is
in listening mode, in his words. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also in Saudi, he's scheduled to meet with the Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman, but he won't be part of Tuesday's negotiations there, just between the other two parties.
As attempts at diplomacy move forward, the war is raging in Ukraine. Russian strikes killed at least six civilians throughout the country over
the last 24 hours, according to the authorities. A 16-year-old boy was amongst them. The Ukrainian Air Force says Russia has launched 176 drones
on Sunday night, most of which were intercepted, 23 people have been killed in a Russian assault on Saturday.
Alex Marquardt is following the talks, he's with us in Jeddah. And so, the parties are there, this -- if you will, the table is set. What is -- what
is in this early stage? The best guess for the outcome.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's not a deal as such, Richard. It's really a fence-mending exercise, if you will.
First of all, to get the senior U.S. and Ukrainian delegations in the room together two weeks after that disastrous meeting in the Oval Office.
Richard, at the time, I was speaking with a U.S. official who said, maybe, the relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy is irreparable.
It does appear to be back on track with Zelenskyy expressing some regret last week. So, clearly, the Ukrainians have some work to do to further that
effort. But on a more concrete level, certainly Rubio is making clear that he wants to hear things. You mentioned that he said he's going to be in
listening mode.
What he said on the plane into Jeddah was that he wants to hear what difficult decisions the Ukrainians are willing to make, what concessions
they're willing to make, that's not just territorial concessions, that could be NATO and EU membership, that could be questions about elections.
He said these are difficult decisions, like the ones the Russians are going to have to make, which is an interesting line because so far we haven't
heard anything from the Russians in terms of what they're willing to give out.
They've staked out some pretty firm lines. So, Richard, clearly, this is the second step in a multi-part effort by the Americans to get the two
sides together. The first step was three weeks ago in Riyadh, this is the second, eventually, the Americans want the Russians and the Ukrainians at
the same table.
QUEST: Isn't this just prove positive, Alex, that this is far more complicated than we're going to solve it in 24 hours. And in fact, this is
what Zelenskyy has always said, that peace is going to take weeks, if not months, to actually negotiate a long, lasting, sustainable peace.
MARQUARDT: Absolutely, and I remember back in September when President Zelenskyy said, I think it is a lot more complicated than President Trump
thinks it is to end this war. And the Trump team got very annoyed by that. Trump said he was going to end this war on day one, then we heard it
extended to within the first 100 days, according to his Ukraine envoy.
But clearly, this is extremely complicated. When you listen to what Rubio is saying, he is essentially acknowledging that it is complicated. He's not
coming in here saying we need to do X, Y and Z. He said very clearly, we're not going to be pouring over maps and drawing lines.
[14:05:00]
We're still very much in the --
QUEST: Right --
MARQUARDT: In the broad stages part of the process. The Ukrainians, the Americans, the Europeans, they're not even on the same page, and that's
before you even get to the -- to the Russian part of the conversation. And they've essentially already ruled out what's being discussed on the
opposite side. So, yes, Richard, there's a very long way to go.
QUEST: And to the neutral observer, it might be seen that the U.S. has its thumb on the scale, as they say, because they are -- they might be -- I
mean, you referred to the fact that they're asking what hard decisions Ukraine is prepared to make, but also they are denying Ukraine the
advantage of military aid, Intelligence sharing, even satellite technology. So, to some extent, they are literally basically taking sides to force
Ukraine.
MARQUARDT: There's a very interesting difference in approach here, Richard. You're absolutely right. The pause in the military and
Intelligence assistance is essentially using a stick approach with the Ukrainians to force them to the table. Rubio's defense of that is we're
still giving them the Intelligence they need to defend themselves.
But in a war like this, when you're being invaded by the Russians, what is offense and what is defense? President Trump saying that Intelligence-
sharing may come back online, but that has been taken away from the Ukrainians. On the Russian side, the U.S. has been using the carrot
approach by inviting them to those talks a couple of weeks ago, bringing them in from the cold on the world stage, saying that American troops will
not go into Ukraine, saying that Ukraine will not be a member of NATO.
Two very different approaches. Of course, the U.S. has threatened tariffs and sanctions on Russia, but it has been a much softer approach with the
Russians. Richard.
QUEST: Alex, I'm grateful, thank you. Alex Marquardt who is in Jeddah tonight. Nic Robertson is with me. Come on, let's call it for what it is.
The U.S. is bullying Ukraine into a position of negotiation in a way that they are not doing with Russia.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, there isn't any pressure on Russia, although, President Trump at the weekend did say that
Russia has weaknesses and did say that he could put sanctions on businesses. There could be tariffs, but I think when you listen to
President Trump, as everyone is right now and you try to figure out, what does he actually mean in that moment?
What does it really count for? You have to take, I think, the preponderance of what he says, and that those comments on Russia and the potential
pressure were in pretty much isolation. So, at the moment, they do have a relatively free hand, if you will, the Russians on all of this.
QUEST: Yes, I mean, Trump's comment that Putin is doing what I will do, I mean, everybody got shocked at that, but it was basically a statement of
the bleeding obvious. If you are handicapping one party, the other party is going to go hell for leather in the war.
ROBERTSON: So, and also these talks here are not just about seeing what position Ukraine has, but they are two parts, seeing what position Ukraine
has and seeing if they say the right things to get that aid back online. The stick is still being held. There's no sense that just because you're
coming into a meeting to discuss your aims, that the stick is going to be withdrawn.
And that's the reality. Look, I was in Brussels last week, and every European diplomat that you talk to is saying what has got into Tump's head,
when is somebody around him going to tell him that what you're doing is wrong, is misleading, is damaging for the country? You are siding with a
stated enemy of NATO and they just can't grasp that. The reality of it.
QUEST: Trudeau said it last week. You've declared war on your closest ally, and you're getting in bed with a lying, murderous dictator, "make
sense of that".
ROBERTSON: And they are making sense of it in Europe, and they are moving. So, to the point that, you know, this is a negotiating tactic, it already
has cost the trust of NATO allies and partners. It has pushed them into a new position. And it's a position that they won't -- that won't easily be
remade.
The stick may well be wielded against Ukraine, but it's the Europeans who have a say in it, so Ukraine's security is their security. Any discussion
about their security, they need to be at the table and they're taking a different course than Trump, and it's going to become more and more
evident. However, it's dressed diplomatically.
QUEST: I understand that leaders in Europe don't want to get on the wrong side, and they are pretzeling themselves to try and be flatter or whatever.
But at what point do you think they will say, look, we can't -- we just -- I mean, Starmer came very close after Intelligence was stopped being
shared, but at what point are they going to say we are going to be done over whether we like it or not, we might as well stand up for ourselves.
ROBERTSON: And so, the question is then, who in Europe is going to say that --
QUEST: No answer --
[14:10:00]
ROBERTSON: So, the answer so far appears to be Ursula von der Leyen. And she laid out last week at the end of all those meetings in Brussels, that
Ukraine must be at the table when Ukraine is discussed. Ukraine's security is Europe's security. When Europe's security is being discussed, they must
be at the table. So, at what point does Trump decide to go it alone and is separately bought Ukraine and Russia in and leave out Europe?
There's a point of contention that comes there, and when they do get to discuss their differences, they are different and they are in different
positions --
QUEST: Men --
ROBERTSON: So --
QUEST: How --
ROBERTSON: Where does it go from there?
QUEST: To paraphrase that famous line, how many -- how many army divisions does the pope have? If you're from the second World War. I mean, von der
Leyen doesn't have any army. She doesn't -- her ability to spend --
ROBERTSON: Tomorrow --
QUEST: Is totally dependent --
ROBERTSON: The defense chiefs of the European Union nations will meet in Paris to discuss the potential armies. All potential -- look, in some ways
--
QUEST: Right --
ROBERTSON: When Rubio says that he's got no time frame for this, Trump said it was 24 hours when Rubio, as he said today, he doesn't have a time
frame for all of this. That in a way is music to Zelenskyy's ears, because he has to negotiate in earnest and play for time for Europe to come up with
a stabilizing peaceful or whatever is going to be.
Look at it through his eyes, he needs time, he needs time for Europe to get ready.
QUEST: If Trump will give him it.
ROBERTSON: Well, Marco Rubio says he doesn't have a time frame here --
QUEST: All right, good to see you sir as always, thank you so much. Thank you. And so did Germany, which is open to funding European projects in the
defense arena. That's according to the Finance Minister, Jorg Kukies, this time in office is very limited. You're aware, of course, the German
government is about to change.
The new one will be led by Friedrich Merz from the opposition party. So, I asked the current Finance Minister just how much the Trans-Atlantic
alliance has changed since we spoke in Davos -- oh, that was only two months ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JORG KUKIES, FINANCE MINISTER, GERMANY: We have certainly seen that the topic that we discussed in Davos, namely Europe has to look out for itself,
has gotten more and more prominent. And I think nobody in Europe now believes that we can afford to sit back and relax in terms of our defense-
spending, our effort of strengthening the European pillar of NATO and the likelihood of us increasing our defense-spending further is very high.
QUEST: Do you support the plan of the likely incoming chancellor to dramatically increase? And indeed, of course, to shift the fiscal rules of
Germany that have been the bedrock for as long as most people can remember. Do you support that?
KUKIES: Sure. I've been part of the discussions. So, it's all very well thought out. And as I said, Europe has to look out for itself in terms of
strengthening the European pillar of NATO, and for that, we will need financial resources.
QUEST: I was in Berlin last week and people, you know, people have talked about Germany needing to find its footing again, Germany needing to get on
the front foot. You talk about the infrastructure, Fred Pleitgen who I'm sure you know is our correspondent there, he talked about often the people
are seeing a crisis of confidence in Germany.
Do you now think that these measures will, to a large extent, alleviate that crisis of confidence and allow Germany to play a leading role in these
changes and future of Europe?
KUKIES: Well, I think the answer is yes, but we also need impulses for growth outside of the fiscal impulse. And just on Saturday, the CDU, the
CSU and the SPD, so, the parties negotiating on the new government published a paper that will form the basis of coalition talks. And that
paper addresses a lot of the issues outside of the fiscal space that are --
QUEST: Right --
KUKIES: That are hindering our growth. We are resolved to cut red tape. We are resolved to fixing our shortage of skilled labor. We are resolved to
set tax incentives for corporates to invest more in our country and to engage more in research and development. We are -- we have a clear plan to
reduce energy costs.
Both the production of energy and the transport of energy through our grids by 5 cents per kilowatt hours. In combination, the fiscal impulse with the
structural -- with the structural initiatives to tackle the four central points that companies have given us as hindrances to growth. I think that
will be a strong impulse to growth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:15:00]
QUEST: That's the German Finance Minister. Two large ships have collided off eastern England today, it's triggered a major response by the British
Coast Guard. The flames and smoke erupted over the North Sea when the cargo vessel hit an anchored tanker carrying jet fuel. So, in other words, one
ship was stationary, the other hit it.
A British lawmaker says one person was taken to hospital, 36 of the crew members from both ships are safe and accounted for. Anna Stewart is with
me. How does -- how does a hit -- a ship hit a stationary ship?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, that is the big question. Was it mechanical error? Was it human error? Was it a combination of the two? Most
of today has been about search and rescue, but now all members of the crew of both ships are accounted for. They're safe, and that is the big
question. How did this happen?
And according to the U.S.-flagged oil tanker, the Stena Immaculate, they say they were at anchor. And this other ship, the so-long Portuguese-
flagged container ship collided with them.
QUEST: Yes, I mean, there's not much more one can say until we know -- except the -- are either ships in danger of sinking?
STEWART: That we don't know. But what we can see quite clearly from the video is that there were multiple explosions, a huge fire, big plumes of
smoke --
QUEST: Wow --
STEWART: We know from the U.S. oil tanker that it was actually carrying jet fuel. It's used to supply the U.S. military, and that jet fuel has
obviously caused a massive fire. So, there's that to deal with. We don't yet know, we've had absolutely no information yet from the other ship, the
container ship, which is a slightly smaller ship.
What was on board that? What was it carrying? Has it got toxic chemicals, for instance, on board? Because in addition to figuring out how the
collision happened and who might be responsible, and you'll only need to look through black boxes and interviews and recordings for that. There's
the issue now of the environmental impacts that all --
QUEST: Sure --
STEWART: Of this could have.
QUEST: These things don't happen very often, but this is a particularly busy shipping channel, is it not?
STEWART: This is a busy area, and I believe it wasn't officially at a shipping channel, which is why you could --
QUEST: Sorry, I'm being --
STEWART: Anchor the ship --
QUEST: I'm being -- I'm being imprecise. Thank you. Have --
STEWART: Would you like parking a car on a motorway?
QUEST: No, all right -- no, I get -- we were not in a shipping --
STEWART: But it is a very busy area. It's a busy port, you had one coming from Scotland on the way to the Netherlands.
QUEST: Yes --
STEWART: The other one had come from Greece and was anchored there. It is busy. What's extraordinary is that this collision or allision, as
apparently it is actually officially called, happened during daylight hours. It was 9:48 a.m. when the call came in. Visibility, I'm told was
around at least 10 miles. And of course, they have radar and all of the navigational aspects you would expect to feature on these --
QUEST: How did they -- how did this cargo ship manage to hit something? I mean, one's left assuming it has to be -- well, obviously I'm speculating.
STEWART: We are speculating, but in addition to all of -- yes, the radar, all of the technology, of course --
QUEST: We didn't see the thing, you're steaming towards it --
STEWART: You also have people on the bridge looking without eyeballs --
QUEST: I see those ships --
STEWART: So, that investigation will --
QUEST: Well --
STEWART: Be ongoing.
QUEST: Thank you, no more word -- what's the word?
STEWART: Allision, when it's like a collision --
QUEST: Like an E or an A?
STEWART: With an A, it's like a collision, but when one of the two parties is actually stationary. So, when I walk into you, Richard, later, it will
be an allision.
QUEST: Thank you very much, good to see you.
STEWART: We have a lot more to talk about tonight, you and me. The eruption of violence in Syria for certain. Clashes between government
forces and remnants of the former Assad regime. It's now spiraling into revenge killings. In a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
QUEST: Apparently, a deal has been reached between Syria's government and one of its warring factions, and not a moment before time as the country is
seeing the worst outbreak of violence since Bashar Al Assad was ousted last year. According to the interim government, military operation forces loyal
to the former regime has now ended.
Paula Hancocks is with me, joining me at the moment. Paula, we know about the violent clashes that have spiraled into communal -- into communal
killings, with eyewitnesses seeing all sorts of atrocities. But what is this latest news that you've got?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Richard, this is significant. A deal has been made we understand, between the SDF, the
Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian interim government. So, there has been a deal agreed. This -- the SDF was, of course, the U.S.-backed largely
Kurdish forces in the northeast of Syria, and really a very large group, one of the largest non-governmental groups.
And they have now been brought into the government itself we understand. The two sides issuing a statement saying that they recognize the Kurdish
community as an integral part of the Syrian state, and this represents a complete ceasefire across Syria itself. Now, it is a significant move. We
know that the two sides have been in talks for several weeks now, and there have been violent skirmishes in the northeast of Syria as well.
We have seen clashes between the U.S.-backed SDF and also Turkish-backed factions. So, the fact that they are now in the fold of this Syrian interim
government could potentially mean that, that will end. This is a significant development, and it will be interesting to see what Washington
makes of it, Richard.
QUEST: Can I just ask you to clarify, if possible. This deal -- are these the same parties that have been having this violence that we've been
talking about over the last few days? And I mean, is this -- is this likely to quell --
HANCOCKS: Well --
QUEST: That violence as well?
HANCOCKS: No, this is a separate -- a very separate group in the northeast of Syria, the Kurdish-backed groups and the U.S.-backed group. What we have
been seeing, though, over the past four days is on the western side, the coastline of Syria. This is where the Alawites community is based. Of
course, the former ousted President Bashar Al-Assad was from the Alawites - -
QUEST: Right --
HANCOCKS: Community. And what we have been seeing is, according to Syrian authorities, they have sent the military there to try and quell an
insurgency. So, we have seen some fierce, indiscriminate and brutal fighting between these two sides. But what we have also seen is that
hundreds of civilians have been caught up in this as well.
There have been some gruesome videos of bodies in the street that have been caught up in this violence. We have also heard from the Syrian interim
President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who's just today spoken to "Reuters" and said that he does acknowledge that there could well have been some revenge
killings within that as well, some revenge killings against the Alawites --
QUEST: Right --
[14:25:00]
HANCOCKS: Community, that the former President Bashar al-Assad was part of. Now, the Syrian authority claims this operation has ended, that it has
been successful. But we know from war-monitoring groups that hundreds of people, many of them civilians have been --
QUEST: Yes --
HANCOCKS: Killed over the past four days.
QUEST: So, Paula, to pull the strands together to somebody -- to our dear viewer tonight, does Syria tonight look more stable or at least less risky
in a sense?
HANCOCKS: It's a very difficult question to answer. If you'd have asked me that an hour ago when we were discussing what was happening with these, in
many cases, extra-judicial killings and executions we're seeing videos of - -
QUEST: Right --
HANCOCKS: I would say that it was very worrying. But of course, now you have this very significant deal between the SDF and the interim government.
So, a lot is happening in Syria at this point. Certainly in the northeast of the country, things are looking far, calmer, and the hopes there won't
be a power vacuum, that there will be this coalition. But along the coastline, it is still not looking good.
QUEST: I'm grateful, thank you Paula. Paula is in Abu Dhabi tonight. Let me update you on one story we've been closely watching. Of course, an
official in Gaza is warning that Israel's move to cut off the enclaves power supply could set off a health and environmental disaster, and will
intensify the area's water crisis.
On Sunday, Israel cut electricity to the last facility in Gaza that was still receiving power. Residents have largely relied on generators and
solar energy since October the 7th terror attacks. The move comes as talks on the fragile ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas sputter
on, if you will.
Still to come on this program ISA SOARES TONIGHT, a trade war with the U.S. escalates as Canada gets a new prime minister. The threat that could turn
off the lights in three U.S. states and a U.S. recession and whether that's on the horizon. The impact of Donald Trump's recent trade announcements.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: Canada's next prime minister is vowing to win a trade war that's
been brought on by President Trump. He's the new Liberal Party leader, Mark Carney. Of course, he led the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England. He's
now using hockey to describe an existential fight with the Trump White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN LIBERAL PARTY LEADER AND CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER- DESIGNATE: The Americans want our resources, our water, our land, our country. Think about it. If they succeeded, they would destroy our way of
life. We didn't ask for this fight. We didn't ask for this fight. But Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves. So, the
Americans, they should make no mistake, in trade as in hockey, Canada will win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: It's not only the Liberal Party that's ready to take on the United States. The Ontario Premier, Doug Ford, he's a conservative, says he's
moving forward with a 25 percent surcharge on electricity exports to three U.S. states. And he says he could shut electricity off completely if the
White House adds new tariffs to Canadian goods.
Paula Newton is with me from Ottawa. You know, I mean, I listened to Mark Carney who you've interviewed over the years and I've certainly known for
20 years. It was a very different Mark Carney last night. I mean, giving no ground, no quarter at all, and being prepared for this fight with the
United States and Donald Trump.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It certainly was someone who did not look like a novice politician, and that's what he is. You and I both know,
Richard, that this is not a novice economist. In some cases, he really steered the world, the G20, after that 2008 financial crisis. And he's done
much more than that, including holding Britain's hand through the whole Brexit era.
Richard, look, I've said this already to you before, I will say it again, politicians of all stripes in this country, including Mark Carney now, have
prepared Canadians for the economic pain that is about to come our way. That does not mean that anyone here in Canada is about to back off.
We just saw Mark Carney on Parliament Hill just a few minutes ago here in Ottawa. He had meetings with Justin Trudeau and here he's going to talk to
us about what the transition is going to look like.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARNEY: I just had a long meeting with the prime minister. We discussed the most important issues for our country, obviously including Canada and
U.S. relations, issues of national security, and yes, the transition between the prime minister and myself. That transition will be seamless,
and it will be quick.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Seamless and quick, and it has to be, given everything coming their way with this tariff war this week.
QUEST: How are they going to get over the fact -- I mean, it's not -- you know, under the parliamentary rules, it's OK, it's possible, but it's not
desirable. He's not a member of parliament. So, either they have to reverse him into parliament through a quick buy election somewhere or they have to
do some shenanigans and finagling to get over it while they wait for the next election.
NEWTON: No shenanigans. Richard, I have an answer for you. So, this man will be sworn in as prime minister by the end of the week. I guarantee you
that. A week or two after that, the Liberals themselves will call for a new election, and they will head to the polls.
In the meantime, Mark Carney is going to be in charge. This is not going to be a caretaker government under the constitutional monarchy and all the
rules he will be the prime minister. At the same time, trying to battle Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre who is still ahead in the polls here
and also taking on Donald Trump and everything the Oval Office can throw at Canada in the meantime.
It is going to be a very interesting seven or eight weeks, but across party lines, think about that, Richard, they are united on one thing and that is
how to fight the United States in this trade war --
QUEST: Why is he --
NEWTON: -- or beyond. Go ahead.
QUEST: Why is he not giving himself a bit longer to bed down before he calls that election?
[14:35:00]
NEWTON: It is a very good question. One, he's definitely riding momentum, because the Liberal Party itself, in all of this groundswell of fight back
to the American tariffs, have come up quite substantially in the polls. He wants to ride that momentum.
But also, Richard, if he waits, he has a Conservative Party with a very large moneyed war chest. If it's outside of an election writ, the
Conservatives can spend that money to attack them. Guess what? There are financial election rules here in Canada. The Conservative Party cannot
spend that money in the campaign once they are in a campaign period. It makes it more of a fair fight.
QUEST: Paula, we'll talk more. There's much more that we need to get to grips with. I'm grateful to you. Thank you.
As we move on, I need to show you the Dow Jones and where we are at the moment with the markets, because over the last -- yes, here we go. Yes. In
the last 20 minutes or so, the Dow's really taken a tumble. That's the triple stack. And the NASDAQ off over 4 percent. The Dow's falling now
nearly 900 points. We've got over an hour's worth of left of trade. But this is showing the seriousness of the current situation.
And it happens at the same time as President Trump is refusing to rule out a potential recession. He's said this in an interview over the weekend, and
Donald Trump defended his tariff plans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you expecting a recession this year?
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition, because what we're doing is very big. We're
bringing wealth back to America.
Of course, you hesitate. Who knows? All I know is this. We're going to take in hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs, and we're going to become so
rich, you're not going to know where to spend all that money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Kevin Liptak, I feel like I'm watching Barnum and Bailey Circus when he says that. Yes, sure the tariff money will come into the treasury,
but it won't make up for the loss of economic growth that's happening elsewhere. This is starting to get serious. Americans will start to get
worried.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, I think they're already worried. That's one of the reasons why you see consumer sentiment
down all of these indicators flashing warning lights for the American economy. You know, I've covered a lot of presidents and I haven't heard one
say outright that they think that the economy could be entering a recession, which when Donald Trump refuses to answer that question from his
interviewer is essentially what he's saying.
And I think you hear his advisers try and make the point that these tariffs are going to act as something of a detox period. That's what the treasury
secretary said over the weekend, that the U.S. was so addicted to government spending that it needed to be broken of that addiction and that
this would be what Donald Trump calls a disruption. But certainly, if this is what the disruption means, you know, that could cause some serious pain
for a lot of Americans.
Of course, Donald Trump is someone who watches the stock market as his own barometer. He insists that he hasn't been paying attention. That's
generated a lot of eye rolls. And so, I think the question is what this portends for this tariff strategy that has been so whiplash and so
confusing for so many American consumers, but also for American businesses who are trying to figure out what they should be doing to prepare for the
next month, let alone the next week.
And that's part of what the president is doing today. He's meeting with. some tech executives here at the White House. These are focused on computer
hardware companies like HP and Intel, whose own supply chains could be affected by disruptions due to tariffs. They're also looking for some
clarity on regulations as the administration takes kind of a more firmer grasp of A.I. And so, there's a lot for them to talk about.
But it's obviously the markets and these recession fears that I think are overshadowing a lot of what the president's trying to do here.
QUEST: Right.
LIPTAK: And I'll just add one more wrinkle to the economic situation here in the United States. Congress has until Friday to pass more government
spending or the government will shut down. So, there's all of these factors that are contributing to this unease and this uncertainty that we're seeing
today.
QUEST: I'm grateful. Thank you. Kevin Liptak at the White House. And I'll keep you informed, of course, on how the markets are performing, if we see
any further substantial falls. For example, if we go over 1,000 down on the Dow.
A former Columbia University student and a Palestinian activist was arrested on Saturday by U.S. immigration authorities. Mahmoud Khalil, a
recent graduate who was forefront of the demonstrations demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. President Trump's vowed to deport foreign students and
imprison those of what he calls involved in illegal protests.
[14:40:00]
Gloria Pazmino is with me now. All right. So, arrested for what and, I mean, arrested for what? And, I mean, arrested for what, and is his
immigration status in question?
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Richard, it's certainly two big questions that we're trying to answer. And you mentioned this,
quote/unquote, "illegal protest" And that is what's so concerning to freedom of speech activists here in New York City who say that this arrest
is raising serious questions about the infringement of the First Amendment rights of Mahmoud Khalil.
He is a green card holder. And so, he is entitled to all of the rights that all American citizens are entitled to. He was arrested on Saturday night
inside of his apartment, which is on the campus of Columbia University. His wife was there during the arrest and she told his attorney that the officer
showed up, said that they were there to revoke his student visa. When they informed them that he was not on a visa, but rather a green card holder,
they said that they were there to revoke that as well.
Now, his wife, who happens to be eight months pregnant and is also a U.S. citizen -- go ahead.
QUEST: Oh, that's fairly dramatic. If they're looking -- I mean, it's one thing to revoke a visa, which is a privilege in a sense, but to revoke a
permanent residency, that's into a quantum different league.
PAZMINO: Absolutely. And that's why this is causing so much concern among advocates here. Now, to be clear, there are several crimes that if a green
card holder commits, they can be deported for, but there's a whole due process that is supposed to take place before that can happen. In fact, the
only authority that can revoke a person's immigration status like a visa or like a green card is an immigration judge. And we have no information at
this time about whether or not Khalil has been presented to a judge since he was arrested on Saturday. So, that's one major question here.
Now, President Trump took to social media just a short while ago to post about this. And part of what he said was that this arrest is going to be
the first of many to come. Now, this is after Trump signed an executive order, shortly after he took office, directing universities to police so-
called anti-Semitic activity on campus. And so, activists say that this is a result of that, which is raising a lot of alarm here and wonder -- people
are wondering whether or not more people will be targeted for arrests.
QUEST: Gloria, when there's more details, come back please, I'd like to know more tonight. Thank you. As we continue Isa Soares Tonight. Isa's off.
You've got me, like it or not. Greenland gets ready to vote in an election that could determine its -- I beg your pardon, political and personal
identity.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
QUEST: A day long strike by workers at 13 German airports is disrupting hundreds of flights. This is Berlin's Brandenburg Airport. Empty departures
hall, although frankly Brandenburg's never that busy. No, I jest. That's particularly -- look, you can see the list of red of cancelled flights.
It's a 24-hour walk out, it began at midnight. Public sector employees as well as ground and security staff are striking over wages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We demand fair pay. Everything is getting more expensive. Rents, electricity, heating, an increase of 500 to
600 euros over the last few years. I am no longer able to save anything. Some months I'm even in the red despite the wage increases we had. This is
the reality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Greenland is holding a parliamentary election on Tuesday and that could very well decide the future direction of the country. In last week's
address to Congress, President Trump doubled down on his goal to acquire the strategically significant island from Denmark. And this is what
Greenlanders have been telling Fred Pleitgen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's an unlikely place for a geopolitical tug of war. Greenland, with a
population of about 57,000, known for its fishing, natural resources, and glaciers, goes to the polls on Tuesday. Something that in the past probably
wouldn't have attracted a lot of global attention, but that was before Greenland caught the eye of U.S. President Donald Trump.
TRUMP: We will keep you safe. We will make you rich and together we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): It's a bold offer, especially since Greenland is a territory of Denmark. Though it's semi-autonomous with its own parliament,
but it does rely on Denmark for about half its annual budget. The U.S. already has a military base in Greenland, which plays a key role in missile
defense and satellite communication.
And Greenland is also the gateway to the Arctic, lying on the shortest route from North America to Europe. So, it's location is strategic. But if
forced to choose between the U.S. and Denmark, many Greenlanders say they prefer another option.
MUTE EGEDE, GREENLANDIC PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We don't want to be Danes. We don't want to be Americans. We want to be Greenlandic.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): It's a question of identity that many Greenlanders feel is at the heart of this election.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to be independent. We need that identity for our people in the Arctic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope Greenland to get more out in the world picture. Right now, it's just dependent on Denmark and the money we're getting from
there.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Most of Greenland's main political parties support independence for Greenland, which can be declared if a referendum passes
and the Danish parliament approves. But they differ on how soon that should happen, with one party saying Greenland should cut ties immediately.
PELE BROBERG, NALERAQ PARTY: Let's hope for a quick process. But as soon as we start that process, we have several other things that will start. One
of them will be defense negotiations with the United States about the defense of Greenland when we are independent.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Trump's comments are also reverberating in Denmark itself, which recently said it will spend more than $2 billion to boost
Arctic security and admitted it had neglected Greenland's defense for years. It's a relationship that could soon change if Greenland steps up its
pursuit of independence or uses its leverage to negotiate a better deal with Denmark.
NOA REDINGTON, POLITICAL ANALYST: There will be a new government and it will put a tremendous pressure on the Danish government to have a position,
a real position in terms of if Greenland wants independence, what will the cost be?
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Independence isn't on Tuesday's ballot, but the results could reconfigure Greenland's future, something the U.S. and many
others will be closely watching.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: Still to come on our program tonight, King Charles is calling for unity more than ever in uncertain times. Dozens of nations are celebrating
Commonwealth Day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:00]
QUEST: The king is praising how the Commonwealth can come together in the spirit of support and friendship. On Monday, as the head of the
Commonwealth, the British Royal Family is marking Commonwealth Day, a celebration the voluntary organization, 56 member states, bringing together
some nearly 3 billion people.
Max Foster is with me. The royals love -- I mean, the late queen loved the Commonwealth. King Charles does as well.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it allows them to retain their international footprint, doesn't it? And, you know, people look back at the
Empire, this is what they reinvented out of it, and they're very proud of that, and it allows them to travel the world and be relevant around the
world.
But it's always been questioned, isn't it? You know, what is the relevance of this? And it does seem to be finding a bit more relevance right now
because it offers perhaps an alternative forum.
QUEST: You can't get away here. Donald Trump going after Canada. Conveniently ignoring -- never mind a commonwealth country Canada, it's
actually a realm. The king, King Charles, is head of State of Canada. So, essentially, Donald Trump wants to oust, usurp, coup to his majesty.
FOSTER: Well, when you ask his team about this, the king obviously delegates everything to -- you know, they decide their own fate. But you
know, you can imagine a situation where it comes up as a topic when Donald Trump comes over for a state visit, he's very keen to get a hold of Canada.
Charles is head of state. I mean, you'd understand the constitutional parts of this as well.
QUEST: Well, I suppose technically he could sign --
FOSTER: He's the ceremonial head of state who does have actual power.
QUEST: Yes, but technically, I suppose he could sign it. But the real point is, it's the offensive nature in a sense.
FOSTER: Yes.
QUEST: That -- I hear you have him ask -- he's agitating to take over a country that is a -- has a head of state that he's going to go and be a
guest of honor at.
FOSTER: Well, there is -- you know, I mean, I know there's been some talk in Washington about this new role that Charles is emerging into. I think it
was a juxtaposition of events. There was the invitation of Donald Trump on a state visit, followed by receiving President Zelenskyy at Sandringham,
followed by also receiving Trudeau at Sandringham. So, you saw this juxtaposition of the -- you know, one key figure working between these
three figures on the global stage.
QUEST: Charles has always loved having his fingers in the pie, and on a few occasions in the past he's got burned.
FOSTER: He likes to find common ground between people. I think he does see himself as having a bit of a diplomatic role. The Sunday Times had a story
this weekend about him being quite concerned about the tension between the U.S. and Canada. Perhaps he sees himself as some sort of interlocutor
there. He would never get involved in a political way, would he?
[14:55:00]
But he could be a -- you know, he likes to go in and listen and say people can present ideas to me and then I can provide a link.
QUEST: Were you surprised by his music?
FOSTER: Yes. These are artists he's worked with.
QUEST: I can't imagine him -- I could see him dancing years ago.
FOSTER: Afro beats.
QUEST: I can see it all.
FOSTER: He talks about dancing to Kylie Minogue, but when you see the video, he's very marginally tapping his foot.
QUEST: All right. Thank you. Good to see you, sir.
FOSTER: Thank you.
QUEST: Thank you.
FOSTER: I need to check you on the Dow before this other gentleman takes over. This is the damage I'm going to leave him to repair. We're now over a
thousand points down on the Dow Jones Industrials. The NASDAQ is off nearly four and a half -- 5 percent by the time it's over, and we've got another
hour or so to go.
Thank you for watching. I've done my share of the damage. Max Foster with the CNN Newsroom is ready to do his.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
