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Isa Soares Tonight
President Trump Reignites Trade War With Europe With A 50 Percent Tariff; Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Administration's Efforts To Ban Harvard From Enrolling Foreign Students; Iran And U.S. Hold Fifth Round Of Nuclear Talks In Rome; Trump: Harvard Receives Billions Of Dollars In Federal Aid, Will Have To Change Its Ways; U.S. And Iran Hold Fifth Round Of Nuclear Talks; U.N.: Palestinians In Gaza Now Enduring What May Be Cruelest Phase Of Entire War; Ringleader Found Guilty In Kardashian Paris Robbery Trial; Prince William's New Docuseries On Wildlife Rangers. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired May 23, 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 Friday, a very warm welcome to you all, I am Richard Quest, Isa is off tonight. So, we've got for you -
- President Trump reigniting his trade war. This time, 50 percent on the European Union, and as for Apple having another bash there, we'll have the
market reaction.
A federal judge has issued a temporary halt for Trump's efforts to ban international students at Harvard. The battle is far from over. And low
hopes and even lower expectations. A fifth round of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran have finished. The issue is now words too complicated to
be resolved in two or three meetings.
We'll be in Tehran and bring you the details on that. President Trump is reigniting trade wars around the world, taking on not only the EU, but one
of America's most profitable companies. And as you might imagine, the markets are not pleased. Mr. Trump is threatening to slap the European
Union with a 50 percent tariff starting on June the 1st.
It's more than double the size of the 20 percent reciprocal tariff that was paused last month. In an online post, Mr. Trump said discussions are going
nowhere, and claims the EU enjoys a trade deficit with the United States to the tune of $250 billion. U.S. Treasury Secretary says he hopes the
President's threat will light a fire under the union.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BESSENT, SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY, UNITED STATES: The 90-day pause on the April 2nd tariffs was based on countries or trade blocs coming to us
and negotiating in good faith. And I believe -- the President believes that the EU proposals have not been of the same quality that we've seen from our
other important trading partners.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Markets are responding accordingly. The Dow, the Nasdaq and the S&P are all lower. European indices fell sharply. Matt Egan is with me. Matt, I
was just listening there. I was just listening to what Scott Bessent said. He says they don't believe that the offers being made by the EU are of the
same quality. Well, probably for very good reason with the EU, they're dealing with an equal. They can't bully the EU as they can with other
countries.
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Richard, you're right. And the EU has considerable leverage over the United States because the EU is America's
biggest trading partner. Look at this. We're talking about all of the -- if you add up the imports and exports for the United States, the number one
country in terms of trading partnership, it's the EU, it's the number one group, almost a trillion dollars of imports and exports.
That is more than China and Japan combined. And so, that does give the EU some leverage here because we don't know how they would respond to this 50
percent tariff should it become a reality. But they've already set in motion plans for retaliatory tariffs on more than a $100 billion of goods
that they get from the United States.
And it's those retaliatory tariffs, Richard, that could end up endangering U.S. jobs. And also, we -- the U.S. imports a lot from the EU, more than
$600 billion of goods last year alone, everything from pharmaceutical products and cars, car parts to aircraft, wine and other alcoholic
beverages as well. And should there be a 50 percent tariff?
Of course, the flow of trade of these goods into the United States would be potentially disrupted, and it would also increase prices here in the United
States. Richard?
QUEST: It's a little bit -- my word sort of childish for the way the administration, in a sense, saying that, you know, these talks are going
nowhere. That -- we're in complicated stuff here. We're not just talking about a tariff if you will, headline number to bring it down. These
negotiations primarily are about non-tariff barriers, ownership rules. GM Foods, all the really gritty stuff that both sides have dug in on.
EGAN: Yes, absolutely. I mean, this is very complicated stuff. And the administration believes they have a very good case with Europe to try to
get them to roll back some of these non-tariff barriers.
[14:05:00]
I can't say I'm shocked that they haven't made any progress yet. But if we want to look real quick at how the markets have --
QUEST: Yes, please --
EGAN: Reacted, I think that's interesting. We can see U.S. markets all down -- the moment this came out, we saw U.S. stock futures plunge. But what's
notable to me is actually the markets are taking it a little bit better than they were first thing this morning. At one point, the Nasdaq was down
by 1.7 percent at the lows of the day.
So, it has come back, whereas obviously, European markets are closed, but they've all closed significantly in the red. Richard, I talked to Mary
Lovely, she's an expert --
QUEST: Yes --
EGAN: On trade --
QUEST: Excellent --
EGAN: Over at the --
QUEST: Brilliant --
EGAN: Peterson Institute. And she told me, look, this tactic from the President coming out with this threat, she said she thinks it's just going
to backfire. She said the EU considers itself a major global body, and it does not deserve to be treated like a small plumbing contractor. And so,
now, Richard, we wait to see exactly how Europe is going to --
QUEST: Oh, right --
EGAN: Respond to this threat.
QUEST: Matt, I'm grateful to you, sir, thank you --
EGAN: Thank you --
QUEST: That's the European side of it. But then you've also got the issue of Apple, and Mr. Trump's targeting Apple and its Chief Executive Tim Cook.
He's demanding that Apple makes its phone in the United States or face -- wait for it, a 25 percent tariff. The President says he's not happy about
Apple's plan to shift production to India -- China to India.
He expects it to be in domestic, in the U.S. About 90 percent of the current production is based in China before a recent trade truce had been
hit with massive tariffs. Apple's long contended that America lacks the number of skilled engineers needed to manufacture the iPhone, and by some
estimates, the cost of iPhones would be more than triple if they were built there.
Clare Duffy is with us. Let's not hang ourselves, Clare, on this question of how much it would cost to make an iPhone here, because the reality is,
it's simply unrealistic. It's not going to happen. And even -- well, you put me right. Please, feel free to argue back. Even if they did decide they
wanted to build the iPhone, they couldn't do it in the next six months to a year anyway.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Yes, it's just not realistic as you said, Richard, by one estimate, it could take Apple 5 to 10 years to move
its production of the iPhone to the United States, and tens, if not hundreds of billions of dollars. And look, that's because there is this
whole network of producers in China that make the iPhone possible.
It's not just one big iPhone factory in China that they can move to the U.S., it is a network of suppliers, and in particular, it is the skilled
engineers who know how to do the task of building the iPhone, that just doesn't exist in the United States. So, there's this whole ecosystem that
would need to get built up here. And then, of course --
QUEST: Right --
DUFFY: We don't know what it would be, but the cost of making a U.S. iPhone and then selling a U.S. iPhone to consumers likely would just not be
feasible. It could be a $3,500 iPhone, and it's unlikely that U.S. consumers would be paying that amount.
QUEST: Clare, I'm grateful, thank you. We'll watch more. Bill Cohan, the "New York Times" bestselling author and one of the Founding Partners of
Puck. How difficult is it? How difficult is it when the President decides to go against you, and you have to negotiate in the court of public opinion
without basically telling him he's wrong, go away, this is awful.
WILLIAM COHAN, BESTSELLING AUTHOR & FOUNDING PARTNER, PUCK: No, Richard, this is a -- requires the ultimate in diplomatic and tactical skills to be
able to maneuver your way through this kind of a thicket. And so, you have to at once flatter, you have to at once acknowledge that somehow you've
made a mistake and you're going to change, and that you're willing to make concessions because this is a President who is extremely transactional, as
we know, he has been for his whole life.
And so, this is a situation that would require, say, Tim Cook to make concessions and maybe make them so far out that this President will be out
of office by the time they actually would be impacting his company, but get beyond being in the spotlight.
QUEST: You see, we had Jeff Bezos with Amazon, we've had Walmart not by name as CEO, but Walmart in terms of tariffs being told -- you know, I
mean, the other day, Walmart being told don't put the tariffs up. You should eat the tariff costs yourself. I didn't quite understand why Walmart
shareholders should eat the tariff cost any more than anybody else should.
But I guess that's sort of my problem, not theirs. Wherever you look, whether it's car companies, Boeing, they're terrified. It's -- this is no
way to run a market.
COHAN: No, and they are terrified -- that's a great word. It's law firms, it's Harvard University, it's these pointed attacks that for whatever
reason, this President has animosity towards.
[14:10:00]
And how, if you're the CEO of a company, if you're a senior partner at a law firm, if you're running an investment bank, if you're running a
university, how do you react to this? I think everybody is just frozen in their tracks, and that's what makes this so incredibly difficult and
painful. It's no way to run an economy, a country.
You know, we are a country of laws that apply broadly, and that are passed by Congress and signed by presidents, not these -- you know, strange
executive orders that target individuals and make everybody quiver in their boots.
QUEST: Can I go out on a limb here, Bill, with you? And I found of all of the attacks, possibly the most cowardly, lily-livered-lot were the lawyers.
There were -- I mean, they are the very ones who are supposed to stand up. And if they -- the big law firms, you know, the multi-billion dollar firms,
they are the ones who are supposed to stand up.
COHAN: Well, I've heard arguments on both sides of this, Richard, as you can well imagine. And you know, it's a very tough position to be in. If
you're a firm like, say, Paul, Weiss, that was the first to go, and remember, now may look like it got off relatively scot-free with a $40
million --
QUEST: Yes --
COHAN: In kind donation to President Trump. That, you know, you've got 3,500 lawyers, you've got all sorts of clients who are ready to pull the
plug to go elsewhere if you can't get them inside the Justice Department, if you can't get them to have those conversations that are relevant to
their M&A deals, it's very difficult situation to be in.
And of course, they just want to get out of the damn crosshairs and go on with their lives. So, the easiest way to do that is just to capitulate, the
harder way to do that is to fight.
QUEST: I'm going to use the -- to use the language of the street, I'm going to squeeze the asset a little bit more and take one more question from you,
if I may ahead of the week --
COHAN: Of course --
QUEST: Holiday weekend. At what point does the bond market, the bond vigilantes, at what point do they say, we are not funding this deficit at
these prices, you are now on notice?
COHAN: This, you know, Big Beautiful Bill that he's got halfway through Congress is going to add $4 trillion to the national debt, after you'll
remember, Donald Trump added 7 trillion to the national debt during Trump one, I think that was the largest of any President in history. The bond
market is obviously reacting negatively to this.
I think you probably do have to give Trump some credit for the tariff revenue that he's generating or is expected to generate, which could be as
much as a trillion dollars. But that still is a $3 trillion addition to the national debt. And the bond market doesn't like the deficits, doesn't like
the debt being added to, and is moving up smartly, which is very unfortunate.
And the -- and the stock market, which Trump follows very carefully is reacting as well. He needs to focus more on the bond market because that's
where the real action is, and that's where the message is extremely powerful.
QUEST: William, thank you, good to have you, sir, I'm very grateful. You and I will talk many more times over the weeks and months ahead --
COHAN: Thank you.
QUEST: Have a good Memorial Day weekend. Such as you'll be able to celebrate --
COHAN: Thank you, sir, you too --
QUEST: Have a good one. Thank you. Now other news I must bring to your attention this evening. We're learning that several people have been
wounded in a knife attack at Hamburg's central station, railway station in northern Germany. A suspect has been arrested -- when I have more
information, I assure you, I will bring it to your close attention. As you and I continue tonight, still to come --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY SUMMERS, PRESIDENT EMERITUS, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: We're an American university that is much stronger because of the opportunities that we have
to bring people from all over the world together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Harvard sees a small victory in its legal battle with the Trump administration. I'll tell you those details. And Iran is speaking out about
a new round of talks with the United States, the goal was to reach a nuclear deal, but they've not done that. But we'll get more insight after
the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:15:00]
QUEST: Straight to the Oval Office, Donald Trump is answering questions.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It would have been a much different answer, but they have a tremendous shut-off power and other
powers that -- and very redundant as I understand it like at a level that nobody's ever seen before. So, it's safe. And we're going to do a lot of
the small ones and we're going to do some of the big ones.
But yes, very safe, safe and clean.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Let's say -- let's keep it on this for a little while. Let's keep it on the nuclear, and then if you want to ask something else which you might,
well do that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On nuclear, Mr. President --
TRUMP: Yes, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you say to folks who are concerned that speeding up licensing or even doing fuel reprocessing raises safety and
proliferation?
TRUMP: Yes, we're going to get it very fast, and we're going to get it very safe. And we're going to get the people in and out, and they're going to do
plants -- in many cases, they'll do 3 or 4 smaller ones and put them together. That's what France has done. France has done a good job of this
for years, and they -- as I understand it, they had basically one plan, and if they needed more, they'd do three or four or five of them, I don't know
we have to go that far.
But you know, there's something about building one big one, but we'll build the big ones, too. We're going to have -- I think we'll be -- I would say
we'll be second to none because we're starting very strong. But we -- it's time, it's time for nuclear and we're going to do it very big. Yes, please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, what about the European Union? You said the negotiations are going nowhere. What -- where are the kind of points --
TRUMP: Well, they're just very slow-moving. They -- I've been saying to everybody, they've treated us very badly over the years. It was formed in
order to hurt the United States, in order to take advantage of the United States. And they've done that. We have a big deficit with them. They sell
millions and millions of cars, as you know, Mercedes and BMW and Volkswagen and many others, and we were restricted from essentially -- restricted from
selling cars into the European Union, which is not nice.
And I just said, it's time that we play the game the way I know how to play the game. You know, nobody -- they've taken advantage of other people
representing this country, and they're not going to do that any longer. Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, you are a deal-maker, deal-breaker. What are you hoping to achieve with a 50 percent tariffs on the --
TRUMP: Well, I think this is -- there's no -- there is no tariff because what they'll do is they'll send their companies into the U.S. and build
their plant. You know, we have, I guess over $12 trillion practically committed. You look at other presidents, they haven't had a trillion
dollars for a year, for two years, for three years. We have numbers -- nobody's ever seen numbers like we have. And if they build their plant
here, then they have no tariff at all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you looking for a deal in nine days? Will you be able to do that, sir?
TRUMP: I'm not looking for a deal. I mean, we've set the deal. It's at 50 percent. But again, there is no tariff if they build their plant here. Now,
if somebody comes in and wants to build a plant here, I can talk to them about a little bit of a delay, but, you know, while they're building their
plant, which is something I think that would be appropriate, maybe we'll determine that.
[14:20:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there anything they could do, sir? Is there anything the EU can do?
TRUMP: I don't know, we're going to see what happens. But right now, it's going on in June 1st, and that's the way it is. No, they haven't treated us
properly. They haven't treated our country properly. They banded together to take advantage of us -- and the people behind me, no, because they had
some of that with their industry, but generally, you know, we signed a great deal with the United Kingdom.
We have numerous other deals that are ready to be signed. We have -- we've signed a deal with China. We have some really amazing deals, but the
European Union -- I mean, the sole purpose was really to -- not to hurt us, but to take advantage of us. And we're not going to be taken advantage of -
-
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, Mr. President on Apple, on Apple, you said this morning that if they don't make their iPhones in the U.S., you're
going to hit them with a 25 percent tariff.
TRUMP: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have the power to tariff one single company? And why would you want to hurt an American --
TRUMP: No, it would be more --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Company in that way?
TRUMP: It would be more -- it would be also Samsung and anybody that makes that product, otherwise it wouldn't be fair. So, anybody that makes that
product and that will start on, I guess, the end of June, it will come out. I think we have that appropriately done by the end of June. So, if they
make that product -- now again, when they build their plant here, there's no tariff.
So, they're going to be building plants here. But I had an understanding with him that he wouldn't be doing this. He said he's going to India to
build plants. I said, that's OK to go to India, but you're not going to sell into here without tariffs. And that's the way it is. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But why would you hurt an American company?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What makes you confident, sir that -- what makes you confident, sir, that Apple can build in the United States at a price that
American consumers --
TRUMP: Oh, they can, no, they can. And a lot of it, a lot of it so computerized now. These plants are amazing if you look at them. But they
can do that. And you know, actually as you know, Apple is coming in with $500 billion, so are the chip companies. We have all of the chip companies
coming in, the biggest $500 billion, $200 billion, $250 billion they're spending.
But we're talking about the iPhone now. And, you know, the iPhone, if they're going to sell it in America, I want it to be built in the United
States.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: They're able to do that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you say that Walmart should eat the cost of the tariffs, is that an acknowledgment that it is U.S. companies that bear the
brunt of tariffs, not foreign countries.
TRUMP: Sometimes the country will eat it, sometimes Walmart will eat it, and sometimes there will be something to pay, something extra. I've always
been a fan and I've always believed in -- if you look, take a look at what I did four years ago, we had the greatest economy and we had no inflation,
remember that? We had no inflation, and yet we had hundreds of billions of dollars of tariffs that I put on China, yet, we had no inflation, we had no
big cost differential.
Oftentimes -- and I don't -- I don't like it when a department store -- because they'll do a lot of business. But you know, they announce record
profits and everything else, they have to take out some of their profits, they'll make a little bit less money.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But you said --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: But I don't want -- I don't want the consumer --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: American businesses --
TRUMP: I don't want the consumer to pay.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But why impose tariffs that you know are hurting American businesses?
TRUMP: They're not hurting, they're helping because they're creating jobs in America. We're creating tremendous amounts of jobs in America like
you've never seen. We're having investment in America. We're not getting ripped off by every country in the world. We've been ripped off by every
country in the world. They're making their product, they sell it.
They don't give our people the jobs, they make them with other countries, jobs. And we will have something that nobody will ever see again, I think.
I think we have a potential to do numbers that we never envisioned in the wildest. Yes, look at -- look at what's happening $10 trillion to $12
trillion in literally a couple of months.
It's not -- nothing like that has ever happened. It's a very special -- we're doing a very special thing. We want -- if they're going to sell it
here, generally speaking, not for all products. There are some products we don't want to make. And frankly, we're much better off getting them
elsewhere. But for certain products, we want cars, we want to make cars.
We don't want to have -- and I like Canada very much, but we don't want to have Canada making our cars. We want to make our cars --
(PHONE RINGING)
TRUMP: It's a phone call, do you mind? Hello?
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: OK, it's only a congressman.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who was it, Mr. President, who was it?
TRUMP: I'd like you to know, actually.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you considering stopping other universities from taking foreign students?
(PHONE RINGING)
TRUMP: It's a different congressman. They're all congratulating us --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that Alfonso(ph)?
TRUMP: Yes, lucky it is. OK, let's go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you considering stopping other universities besides Harvard from accepting foreign students?
TRUMP: Well, we're taking a look at a lot of things. And as you know, billions of dollars has been paid to Harvard. How ridiculous is that?
Billions.
[14:25:00]
And they have $52 billion as an endowment. They have $52 billion, and this country is paying billions and billions of dollars, and then give student
loans, and they have to pay back the loans. So, Harvard's going to have to change its ways.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: So are some others.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On that note, on that note, a lot of CEOs in the United States, big companies are foreign. What is that going to do --
TRUMP: I'm fine with that, no, I'm fine with that --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the competitive --
TRUMP: No, we want to -- we want to do that. We're actually going to be doing something in the near future that's going to make it possible for
people to come into this country and come in and, you know, have a road toward citizenship. And I think it will be very exciting, but it's too soon
to speak.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you not want -- why do you not want the best and brightest from around the world to come --
TRUMP: I do --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To come to Harvard?
TRUMP: I do, but a lot of the people need remedial Math, did you see that? Where the students can't add 2-and-2, and they go to Harvard. They want
remedial Math, and they're going to teach remedial Math at Harvard -- no, wait a minute. So, why would they get in? How can somebody that can't add
or has very basic skills, how do they get into Harvard? Why are they there?
And then you see those same people picketing and screaming at the United States and screaming at, you know -- they're anti-Semitic or they're
something, we don't want troublemakers here. But how do people that can't - - when Harvard comes out with a statement that they're going to teach some of their students remedial Math? That's basic Math, that's not the deal.
OK, any more.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: In the back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are there other countries you're considering shortening the 90-day pause on tariffs for? And then, are there specific
steps you're looking for the EU to take?
TRUMP: We know when we have a lot of requests, and you know, you don't have the people to handle it, frankly. Everybody wants to make a deal. I'm sure
now the European Union wants to make a deal very badly. But they just -- they don't -- they don't do it right. They don't go about it right. The
other thing they do is they sue our companies all the time.
You know, they have suits where their judges -- I don't know if they're appointed by them, but they're definitely Europe-centric. And we're not
going to -- we're not going to stand for it. They want a $17 billion lawsuit for Apple, and I read that case, and that's not a case that should
have been won. They're suing other of our companies -- they use this as a weapon, but they use it really to raise funds for what they do.
It's almost like a fundraising mechanism. So, we add that to the fact that they do the non-monetary tariffs and lots of other trading. You would call
them trading barriers. They don't take our cars, they don't take our agriculture, they don't take anything, but we take their cars by the
millions --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What --
TRUMP: And therefore, they have the jobs, they get the money and we get closed plants, not going to happen that way anymore. Thank you very much,
everybody --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, guys, thank you, guys --
TRUMP: Thank you, thank you --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, guys, thank you, thank you guys. Thank you --
TRUMP: Thank you --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, please don't --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please (INAUDIBLE) --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, guys, thank you --
QUEST: Just waiting to hear if there's anything else that we hear from him. Matt Egan is with me. Matt, no one's ever done anything like this before.
The European Union was set up to, not to hurt us, but to take advantage of us. The thing that struck me as I listened, it didn't seem like -- well,
let's do the 50 percent on Europe.
He wants factories made in the U.S. -- I couldn't work out what it is he actually wants from Europe. He sort of gave the impression there was
nothing that they could do.
EGAN: Yes, Richard, I think he wants a win from Europe. But exactly what that is remains unclear. And it does sort of feel as though this is being
largely used as a pressure tactic, right? I mean, we know the President likes to try to get leverage in any way he can. And so, he's come out today
and kind of out of nowhere, threatened this 50 percent tariff unless they reach a deal by June 1.
And, you know, as we were speaking earlier this hour, this is very complicated, right? There's a lot of issues between the U.S. and the EU.
We're talking about America's biggest trading partner. So, this is not something that they can get overnight. I thought it was interesting that
earlier this afternoon, Barclays put out a research report where they said that about this 50 percent tariff threat, they said, we view this as merely
a negotiating tactic.
They say they're keeping their projections for tariffs, but they did --
QUEST: Right --
EGAN: Warn that if this 50 percent tariff that has been threatened, if it becomes a reality, they say it would lead to higher inflation and slower
growth here in the United States.
QUEST: Matt, grateful, thank you.
EGAN: Thanks.
QUEST: Let's go straight to Katelyn Polantz who is with me in Washington. I don't know how much -- forgive me, Kate, I don't know how much you were
able to hear, Katelyn, the President just speaking then, because you were probably on the way to the studio. But essentially, he's repeated all his
talking points, criticized Harvard, and said that they were teaching people remedial mathematics.
[14:30:00]
And whilst he wanted people there, he didn't sort of really mind what was going to happen.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: It doesn't seem like it at all, Richard. It seems as if -- basically, I was able to hear a
little bit about what the president said about Harvard and the administration's approach to that university in the United States. And he
says essentially that Harvard, he wants them to change.
And where things are right now, Richard, is that Harvard is not willing to change because of the administration's demands, and they are fighting back.
They are going to court, and they have already gotten at least a temporary reprieve from a very, very drastic measure the Trump Administration tried
to take yesterday trying to have all of the student population from other countries at Harvard leave that campus.
Harvard went to court this morning saying that it would be immediate and devastating impact on their college campus, that it would hurt research
programs, it would hurt courses, and it would hurt the student body right now. And a judge has already stepped in and said that the administration
cannot put in place this forceful revocation of student visas at Harvard. So, they are doing well in courts so far.
QUEST: But there's no -- but just listening to the president there, there was no sense of I'm rethinking. There was no sense -- he's constantly
doubling down on it. If this is going to be reversed, it's going to have to be through the courts.
POLANTZ: That is where things stand right now. You never know when a case that is open in the court system may settle or end in some way. But in this
standoff, it really is these two monumental forces in America against each other so far apart and at odds. And Harvard's case is a very meaty one that
is likely to have a lot of legs in court.
There was a reporter I believe that asked Donald Trump directly, are you looking at doing sort of measures like this for other universities? And
Trump responded -- he was looking at that, although I didn't pick up on any additional detail he provided there on whether other universities may face
something as drastic as the student visa revocation Harvard was facing. But there's a lot more to come, Richard.
This case that Harvard filed against the Trump Administration, it was just this morning. And there is going to be a large very significant hearing on
it next Thursday before a federal judge in Boston. That'll be the first major hearing in this case. But a much -- a very long road ahead. Richard?
QUEST: I'm grateful that you came to us so quickly bearing in mind what we've been hearing. Thank you, Katelyn Polantz in Washington.
As you and I continue, Iran is laying down red lines as the fifth round of talks with the U.S. took place in Rome.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:36:32]
QUEST: Iran says the fifth round of nuclear talks with the United States was complicated yet professional. Delegations met in Rome. They were trying
to reach a deal over Iran's nuclear program. They're expected to meet again but no date has been set. Before the talks ended, Iranian sources told CNN,
they don't believe a deal is likely. The U.S. is demanding Iran stop all uranium enrichment. The country is refusing to do that saying its nuclear
program is for peaceful purposes.
Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran. Who's playing who in these talks do you think?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that both sides are sort of feeling each other out right now. But I think
the one thing that you just mentioned, Richard, the uranium enrichment, that really is the main core issue of these talks, and the main part where
it's really difficult for the two sides to find -- to come some sort of common ground, which I guess is already progress if you're looking at the
relations between Iran and the U.S.
For instance, Iran's missile program it's not part of these talks at all. So, some progress has already been made. It was quite interesting to hear
the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi coming out after these talks and saying that at the very least he believes that the U.S. side now
understands Iran's position better than they did before. The Iranians obviously saying for them uranium enrichment is a red line and something
they feel have a right -- they have a right to do, and that talks will fail if the Trump Administration continues to demand the Iranians stop it.
Here's what the Iranian Foreign Minister had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Negotiations are too complicated to be resolved in just two or three meetings. However,
the fact that we are here is already progress. I am hopeful that in the next one or two meetings, we can agree on solutions that will allow these
talks to move forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: Allow these talks to move forward also means that right now they're moving forward at a very slow pace. The U.S. side, Richard, has now
also come out with a statement as well also saying that there has been progress but that there are still remaining questions, that there are going
to be further meetings between these two sides to iron that out. But certainly, it seems as though right now progress appears to be fairly
difficult to achieve especially on that topic of uranium enrichment, Richard.
QUEST: Just to clarify, one quick question if we may. Do we know if the two sides are talking to each other directly or are these so-called proximity
talks?
PLEITGEN: Well, it's -- I think proximity is actually probably the best word to describe these things. The Iranians keep saying that these are
indirect talks, that the two sides are not talking directly to one another, even though of course they are at the same venue. And you have the Omanis
who are mediating between the two sides.
That doesn't mean that there's no direct interaction between these negotiators. But certainly, as far as the topics are concerned, it seems
those -- it's the Omanis shuttling back and forth between the two delegations. The U.S. has been calling these direct talks maybe because
they are in the same venue, but it seems as though both sides have sort of come to an agreement that they'll agree to disagree on whether the talks
are direct and -- or indirect. They do say that they do have the same goal in mind but obviously still some pretty big hurdles to overcome, Richard.
QUEST: Good to have you with us this evening. Thank you. Fred Pleitgen there in Tehran.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the Palestinians in Gaza are now enduring what may be the cruelest phase of the war. The Secretary-
General says supplies from just 115 trucks have been collected since Israel eased its monthslong total blockade, and nothing has yet reached Northern
Gaza. The Secretary-General says families are being starved while the world watches in real-time.
[14:40:10]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY GENERAL, U.N.: All the aid authorized until now amounts to a teaspoon of aid when a flood of assistance is required. The
needs are massive and the obstacles are staggering. Beyond questions about the particular number of trucks at any particular moment, it is important
to stay fixed on the big picture. And the big picture is that without rapid, reliable, safe, and sustained aid access more people will die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: A handful of bakeries are operating again with limited supplies, very limited. This shows people gathered outside a bakery that ran out of
bread in Central Gaza. They say they're exhausted by the endless search for food. And you can see the desperation here as people scramble for bread
being tossed at a distribution site. Aid groups are urging Israel to allow in thousands of trucks currently waiting at the Gaza border.
The World Food Programme says they contain enough food to feed Gaza's two million people for two months. The Israeli agency that oversees the
delivery says there is no food shortage in Gaza.
The United Kingdom has condemned what it's called the latest appalling settler attacks in the West Bank warning it could impose further sanctions
on those who carry out in their words heinous abuses of human rights. Palestinians say Israeli settlers have attacked the town of Bruqin on
Thursday night. They burned homes and vehicles. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has called it organized terrorism meant to force Palestinians from
their land. The Palestinian Red Cresent says it treated eight people for burn injuries at the scene.
As we continue, verdicts are coming in for those of accused of stealing millions in cash and jewels from Kim Kardashian. We'll be in court for the
latest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: To Paris now where a guilty verdict has been reached in the trial of those accused of robbing Kim Kardashian back in 2016. Melissa Bell is with
me in Paris. The ring leaders being found guilty, 10 were accused of kidnapping and conspiracy. This is all fascinating. And it was a truly
horrific incident for Kim Kardashian.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. In fact, we know how traumatized she was left by the experience because she
appeared here only last week, Richard, to talk about what had happened, to talk about the fact that she couldn't sleep at night now without knowing
that her security detail was around her. It would have been a very, very difficult experience for her to go through and to get over.
Still, she looked at those accused and told them that she forgave them. Tonight, we're just beginning to learn of their sentences. We haven't
learned how -- whether those 10-year sentences for instance for the ringleader will be handed down. What we do know is that eight out of 10 of
the accused have now been found guilty of some crimes related to that robbery and kidnapping that took place in 2016. This was of course years
ago.
It's taken a long time, Richard, for justice to be served. But still a moment of closure had said Kim Kardashian herself when she spoke here last
week. And for those in the dock as they arrived here this morning, many had come carrying their luggage, Richard. So, firmly did they expect they'd be
going straight to jail.
[14:45:31]
QUEST: And one expects there will be appeals. But as I heard, the evidence during the case, I mean, it's all pretty clear-cut stuff.
BELL: It's pretty clear-cut partly because this was not a very elaborate or sophisticated plan, Richard. They were caught relatively easily. This is
after all -- this was -- this was a more than a plot. They robbed and assaulted one of the most famous women in the world and left a variety of
clues behind them. I mean, there was DNA evidence. They were caught relatively quickly. It's simply that the justice system has been slow in
treating the case.
So, there was a sort of amateur quality to this plot. In fact, many of those in the just -- in the courtroom behind me have served prison
sentences before, but they were pretty low-level petty thieves when they got together in this cafe, as alleged by the prosecution, to hatch this
plan simply because they'd managed to get to the driver who was used by Kim Kardashian and her then-fiance Kanye West when they came to Paris. And they
were caught relatively easily.
One of them even wrote a book about it over the course of the last few years, How I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian. And I think that speaks Richard to
the attitude here in France to do with money and how it's displayed that a man accused of such a heinous crime could write a book about it and be
published. Richard?
QUEST: Melissa, thank you. Enjoy your Friday evening as you continue this evening. Thank you.
Billy Joel has canceled all of his upcoming concerts after being diagnosed with a brain disorder. According to a statement that was posted on social
media, it says the singer has Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, a rare disease that occurs when a person has too much fluid on the brain. The legendary
singer says he'll undergo physical therapy. He's been advised to avoid performing. Joel he's sorry for the cancellations and hopes to return to
the stage very soon.
More in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:34]
QUEST: One man in Norway woke up to a bit of a shock this week. Now, he woke up when a huge container ship ran aground right in front of his house.
Now, imagine that in front of your garden. The homeowner said he slept through the whole thing and only woke up when a neighbor rang his doorbell.
Authorities say that no one was hurt and that they're working to remove the ship. But so far they haven't had much luck.
College graduates everywhere have been green with envy over this year's commencement speaker at the University of Maryland on Thursday. Kermit the
Frog delivered the address at the school, urging graduates to stay connected to friends.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KERMIT THE FROG, MUPPET CHARACTER: -- and fellow amphibians, thank you for having me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: There we go. The university's comment on the matter of sorts, the late great Muppet creator, Jim Henson, graduated from the school in 1960.
The Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado has died at the age of 81. The legendary photographer is remembered for images like these capturing
landscapes from across the world especially the Amazon Rainforest, his signature black and white style. Isa caught up with Salgado in London last
year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Do you feel that that your work was part of a time in history that is now dying I think because of -- because
of social media, because of the iPhone, because of the need to want those instant photos?
SEBASTIAO SALGADO, BRAZILIAN PHOTOGRAPHER: No, it has nothing to do. What you do with iPhone is not photography. Photography is memory. When you were
a kid, your father or mother made a picture of you, bring to develop the film, put in an album, that is photography because this is your memory.
This is your life.
What you do with this telephone is just a language of communication with image. We send this, you send that. You don't care about this photograph.
Photography is the memory of the society.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: The news out of Germany this evening. Several people have been wounded following a knife attack at Hamburg Central Station. Police say
they have arrested a suspect. CNN's Sebastian Shukla is in Berlin and joins me now. If you can hear me, Sebastian. I beg your pardon. We do seem to
have -- we've just lost Sebastian Shukla. It just proves the best-laid plans can always go awry even on a Friday.
The Prince of Wales has a new docuseries focusing on wildlife rangers risking their lives across the globe. Nearly two of them are killed each
week. Gosh, I'm surprised. The BBC docuseries is called Guardians. It follows their stories from the Central African Republic to the Indian
Himalayas, Mexico, Brazil. The Prince said the world can no longer ignore the reality of one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM, PRINCE OF WALES: I've been fortunate enough to travel to Africa many times over the years, and the continent has always held a special
place in my heart. Deep in the Central African Republic lies Dzanga-Sangha, one of our planet's last great untouched wildernesses. Here elephants and
gorillas still roam through ancient forests alongside communities who have lived in harmony with nature for generation. but these iconic species
remain a target for poachers and protecting them is a daily battle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Animal welfare and Africa, it doesn't get more royal than that, Max Foster.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: No. And it was interesting. So, I was invited to -- with a few others to this screening of a -- of a new show. It
was linked to the palace, not directly from the palace. And Prince William actually turned up and introduced it. And then he sat on a panel and talked
about it. And I think it shows just how deeply involved he is with this issue.
So, you know, he spent, you know, gap year in Africa. That's where his love of Africa in particular, and then wildlife, and then conservation. And he's
got increasingly involved in what the rangers do. And what he's saying is that he just thinks it's the one of the most dangerous jobs in the world
now because of the gangs that they're facing, and they're linked with these larger terrorism groups.
QUEST: The Royals are patrons of vast numbers of organizations, but they do reserve their firepower for a certain few of them, don't they.
FOSTER: Yes.
QUEST: And in terms of the Prince of Wales, it is very much animals, it's Africa, it's homeless, it's all of these sort of issues that he's taken on
board. And he doesn't get involved if he's not going to do it properly.
[14:55:17]
FOSTER: I think it was his father, Prince Charles, wasn't it, who sort of redefined that role of the heir.
QUEST: Yes.
FOSTER: That you can do a lot of public work ahead of becoming a monarch. And I think William has intentionally chosen a certain few things that he
does care about, and then it sort of reflects in how he tells these stories. But this whole series was his idea. He got the production company
involved, and he's been involved throughout it. And he's not done a huge amount recently in terms of events compared with -- in the past. And he's
just throwing himself into the ones that he thinks he can make a difference with.
And there were some extraordinary statistics. He talked about there being more hairdressers in the U.K. than rangers in the world, but they control
or look after 30 percent of the planet.
QUEST: They know their stuff. It's tempting to think of them just being the face of the thing. But actually, my -- they know their stuff. They've done
their research.
FOSTER: Well, it was noted that, you know, when he was doing his pieces to camera as it were, it didn't look like a jungle, it looked like a British
forest. But he was definitely what he can do is get involved in endless meetings and speaking to all the people who get involved. And he certainly
is on the phone a lot to all of those charities.
QUEST: We're going to swap seats, aren't we?
FOSTER: Why not? You're going to sit -- what are you going to talk about?
QUEST: I don't know. What are you going to talk about?
FOSTER: Tariffs. We can talk about tariffs.
QUEST: Let's talk about it. He's next. I'm out. That's what we know. Max is where you get the rest.
END