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One World with Zain Asher

Trump Says He'll Speak With Vladimir Putin Tuesday; EU Foreign Ministers Discuss More Money For Kyiv; White House Defends Deportations In Face Of Judge's Order. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired March 17, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, HOST, "ONE WORLD": U.S. President Donald Trump confirms he will be speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin

tomorrow. One World starts right now.

Trump says he plans to discuss land and power plants with Putin. This as Ukraine has already agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan. We'll have

the latest from Moscow. After hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants are deported from the U.S., the White House is denying that it defied a judge

order to turn the plane around. And it is March Madness time, and you could win big if you end up with a perfect college basketball bracket. CNN's Andy

Scholes joins me live to break it all down for us.

Live from London, I'm Christina Macfarlane. Brianna and Zain are off today. This is One World. And we begin with a planned phone call that could decide

the future of Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump says he'll speak to his Russian counterpart on Tuesday to discuss ending the fighting in Ukraine.

The Kremlin is confirming the planned call. President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday, he is already discussing what he calls certain

assets that will be divided up between Moscow and Kyiv.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We'll be talking about power plants. That's a big question, but I think we have a lot of it

already discussed very much by both sides, Ukraine and Russia. We're already talking about that, dividing up certain assets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: CNN's Fred Pleitgen is tracking the view from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Kremlin has now confirmed that U.S. President Trump is set to speak to Vladimir Putin

on the phone on Tuesday, and the Russians have so far praised the U.S. President's efforts to try and end the war in Ukraine. But, Vladimir Putin

does say that he does still have certain reservations. Essentially, what has happened is that the Ukrainians have signed on to an unconditional 30-

day ceasefire, whereas the Russians say, for their part, there are still conditions that they want to see met before a ceasefire can go into place.

Essentially, the Russians are saying that they want the underlying causes of the war in Ukraine, as far as they're concerned, to be addressed before

the weapons can be silenced. Now, of course, a lot of that, for the Russians, pertains to territory. The Russians essentially want to keep all

the territories that they've already taken from the Ukrainians, and possibly even more than that, when you look, for instance, at the

administrative borders of places like the Donetsk Oblast or the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where the Russians control part of it, but certainly

not all of those places yet, even though they are currently on the move on the battlefield.

Another thing that the Russians also say is that they don't want to see any foreign troops, especially NATO forces, on the ground as peacekeepers in

Ukraine, and they don't want Ukraine to become part of NATO in the future. All of that, of course, very difficult to swallow for the Ukrainians. So,

there are still a lot of issues that need to be addressed. Nevertheless, the U.S. President has said that he is confident that things are going in

the right direction, and he says that he hopes that some sort of ceasefire could be in place in the coming weeks.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, as the U.S. and Russian presidents get ready for that phone call, European diplomats are talking about what role they can play.

EU foreign ministers gathered in Brussels today to discuss providing more money for Ukraine's defense. Europe's increasingly strained relationship

with U.S. was also on the agenda. The ministers remained skeptical that Russia is really ready to talk peace with Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAJA KALLAS, EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: Well, those conditions that they have presented, it shows that they don't really want peace, actually, because

they are presenting as conditions all their ultimate goals that they want to achieve from the war. There is a broad political support for that

initiative, which is good, but there is a lot of details that need to be worked out, because there're also defense ministers that need to have a

say, and we have a meeting of defense ministers, but it's important that the council said that we need to move swiftly, and that is what we are

doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: To help us understand all the moves happening right now regarding Russia -- Russia's war in Ukraine, we're joined by CNN Political

and National Security Analyst, David Sanger. David, great to see you again. He is the author of the "New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion,

and America's Struggle to Defend the West".

[11:05:00]

David, really great to be speaking with you once again. We were hearing there much skepticism, I think, coming out of Brussels ahead of this call

set to be held tomorrow, and one can understand why. How much risk does this call carry for Ukraine at this moment?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL & NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, thanks for having me on. It carries a lot of risk for Ukraine. It carries some risk

for the Europeans who are meeting. They're not on the call, and nor -- neither are the Ukrainians. So, we heard from President Trump yesterday, as

he was flying back on Air Force One, that he is going to have this call, and that when he does have the call, there will be discussion over how much

territory Russia gets to hold on to, the fate of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. We assume that's the plant that he is discussing. And we've

known, of course, for years, that Russia would end up with some land that they seized illegally from this invasion, and of course, from the seizure

of Crimea.

The question isn't whether they end up with it. The question is, do the Ukrainians get a voice, an equal voice, in this negotiation too, or is this

something that's just going to be decided between Vladimir Putin and President Trump? And right now, it looks like the latter.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. And to that point, how successful do you expect the Kremlin to be, during the course of that call, in dragging this ceasefire

deal towards terms more favorable to them? I mean, they've already outlined, as we've heard, that the discussion is ongoing about land, about

power plants. How much further can it go?

SANGER: Well, as you heard from Fred, there are a couple of other demands they have as well. One is, no NATO peacekeepers. Well, we know that NATO

would not be formally doing the peacekeeping, but there could be a force composed of NATO countries, just not in a NATO formation. The French, the

British, the Germans have all indicated some willingness to place troops in Ukraine. Now, one way to look at this is to say, that's none of Russia's

business. If the troops are inside Ukraine, it's a sovereign Ukrainian decision. But, Putin clearly believes that that should be part of the

negotiation, and he doesn't want any of them there. That's the core of what you hearing when you hear President Zelenskyy refer to security guarantees.

The second question would be, supposing the Russians do come over those borders, what are those troops supposed to do? Are they there as observers?

Are they there as a trip wire, in which case are the Americans going to back them up? Are they there as a fighting force to stop the Russians,

which carries with it its own risks? So, one would have to define very carefully what the role of these troops are.

And then the third element, it comes from the European determination to help fund the Ukrainians to build up their own arms. Putin, obviously, is

going to argue that the arms that Ukraine has should be sharply limited.

MACFARLANE: I mean, how stuck are the Europeans here? Because, on the one hand, they've already said very publicly that they need U.S. security

guarantees for any peace deal to work. I mean, if they don't get it, they're either going to have to put troops on the ground, as you're talking

about here, or agree to essentially whatever comes out of the call or comes out of negotiations between Putin and Trump. I mean, have they kind of

worked themselves into a bit of a bind?

SANGER: Well, the bind here comes from the fact that until President Trump took office, the U.S. and Europe were almost completely aligned on what the

negotiating positions here should be. Now they are no longer aligned. And so, you have the Europeans pursuing the policy that the United States had

for three years under President Biden and the United States going off in a different direction, and that's the fundamental issue here, that the

largest single member of NATO, the United States, appears to be following a different policy.

Now, we don't know how this is going to turn out, and maybe President Trump is going to convince Vladimir Putin to take peacekeepers, allow

peacekeepers to be in Ukraine, is going to convince him to limit the land holdings. The other way to look at it is that President Trump isn't really

focused very much on Ukraine, and that this is sort of a speed bump he has got to get over on the way to rebuilding a larger relationship with Russia.

[11:10:00]

MACFARLANE: Well, we should wait and see how that call plays out. But, as you say, there is so much to deliberate, to contend with, many directions

this could go with Trump at the helm of that telephone call. But, for now, David Sanger, we appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.

SANGER: Thank you.

MACFARLANE: Now, as a former part of the Soviet Union, Lithuania has been among the European State's most outspoken about resisting Russia's

aggression. Its Foreign Minister says it's unfair that Ukraine has agreed to a ceasefire, but Russia want concessions first.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KESTUTIS BUDRYS, LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We require from Ukraine unconditional position, when we see so many conditions from Putin's side,

so -- and we see the real intent, and there is no place for peace in Putin's imperialist plan. That is obvious. And these actions show more than

the words for themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: And we will be speaking with the Lithuanian Foreign Minister Budrys in our next hour here on One World. Be sure to stick around for

that.

Now, there could be a new battle playing out between the U.S. President and the judicial system, as Donald Trump once again tests the power at the

limits of executive power. The White House says it did not violate a federal judge's order when it deported hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang

members on flights to El Salvador over the weekend. On Saturday, the President granted himself sweeping powers under an 18th century law meant

to be used during wartime that allows the deportation of undocumented immigrants with little or no due process. A judge has blocked the use of

that act and ordered any flights to turn around. President Trump, on Air Force One last night, defended the decision but didn't say whether the

judge's instructions have been followed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, this is a time of war, because Biden allowed millions of people, many of them criminals, many of them at the highest level. They

emptied jails out. Other nations emptied their jails into the United States. That's an invasion. And these are criminals, many, many criminals,

murderers, drug dealers at the highest level, drug lords, people from mental institutions. That's an invasion. They invaded our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, CNN's Jeff Zeleny joining us now from the White House. Good to see you, Jeff. Now, interesting to note that President Trump, as we

were saying there, didn't deny that he had sidestepped a court order, but presumably now all of this is going to be set for a major showdown in the

course.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It definitely is, and add this to the list of other administration actions that have been

challenged in the courts. A hearing has been set for this afternoon here in Washington on this. But, look, this is one of the major cases that could

ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court. We shall see.

But, before that, the President is basing his authority here on that 1798 law that's only been used three times in American history. That was during

the War of 1812 as well as the First and Second World War, and not since then, to speed up the arrests and deportations. But, he is standing behind

that law and calling this immigration an act of war. This is what he said last night flying back to Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They invaded our country. So, this isn't -- in that sense, this is war. In many respects, it's more dangerous than war because in war, they

have uniforms. You know who you're shooting at. You know you're going after. These are people that came out. They're walking our streets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: But, look, the fact that this law has only been used three times certainly will help define the term "war", but the administration is just

adding this to the latest example of its crackdown on immigration. So, we will see where this goes from here.

But, yes, the President has some broad authority. The question is, is it this broad of an authority? Where are the civil rights and the deportation

regulations normally? We will see. But, again, the White House is pushing back against the judge, saying a single judge cannot overrule the broad

powers of the President. But, look, that's exactly what's at heart here, the separation of powers between the executive branch and the rest of the

government. So, again, add this to the list of cases that will face a legal challenge.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. And in declaring this justification for this as a -- at time of war, is there any sense yet of how the courts will view that as

justification for invoking such an obscure provision of immigrant laws?

ZELENY: Well, look, the judge on Saturday that ruled basically against the administration in the very early actions was not taken kindly to this being

invoked or used at all. In fact, this judge ordered the plane to be turned around mid-air, which it was not.

[11:15:00]

It was on its way to El Salvador. So, this is something that also raises the bigger question, is the administration really, for the first time we've

seen this year, not complying with a judicial order, flouting the law? The administration says, no, that they are simply arguing that this judge does

not have the authority to do so. But, look, we will see how this sort of plays out as other judges hear it. But, at least initially, the first judge

who heard this case did not side with the administration at all. However, the administration already had the plane in the air, and a couple of

hundred of those so-called gang members were on the way to El Salvador.

MACFARLANE: Jeff Zeleny, appreciate it. Thank you.

ZELENY: My pleasure.

MACFARLANE: Now, escalating tensions in the Middle East, as the U.S. piles pressure on Yemen's Houthis with new airstrikes and how Houthis are

responding. That's coming up.

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MACFARLANE: A major U.S. military operation against Houthi rebels in Yemen is heating up. Houthis say the U.S. carried out new airstrikes today,

continuing a series of attacks that have reportedly killed dozens since Saturday. The Houthis claim to have retaliated by launching attacks against

an American aircraft carrier, and say they'll respond to further escalation with escalation.

Meantime, U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to use lethal force until the Houthis stop attacking ships in the Red Sea, and he is demanding Iran

end its support for the group immediately.

Let's go to CNN's Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi for the latest. And Paula, President Trump had recently redesignated once again the Houthis as a

terrorist group. But, talk to us about the timings, the significance of the timings of these attacks. Why they're happening now?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, we had seen an end to the attacks by Houthi rebels. They have since late 2023 been targeting the

shipping lanes in the Red Sea, in the waters nearby, because they were protesting, they said, Israel's war in Gaza. They said they would stop when

there is a ceasefire, which they did. But then, since just over two weeks ago, Israel stopped all humanitarian aid going into Gaza. That is when the

Houthis said that they were going to continue with their attack. So, that's potentially the timing that we're looking at here.

[11:20:00]

And what we are hearing from the Trump administration is that this will be different to what we saw from the previous administration. The former U.S.

President, Joe Biden, also ordered a number of strikes against Houthi bases and missile defenses. But, what we're hearing from sources familiar with

this matter is that this won't be a one-off, that these attacks will be consistent. They will be sustained over the coming days and weeks. And

certainly, that is what we are expecting at this point. We have heard from the U.S. National Security Advisor, Michael Waltz, speaking to ABC, saying

that multiple Houthi leaders were killed in the strikes that they carried out over the weekend, and he was also at pains to point out that this is a

message not just for the Houthis, but for the sponsor of Houthis, for Iran itself. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE WALTZ, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: All options are always on the table with the President, but Iran needs to hear him loud and clear. It is

completely unacceptable, and it will be stopped, the level of support that they've been providing the Houthis. President Trump is coming with an

overwhelming force. We will take -- we will hold not only the Houthis accountable, but we're going to hold Iran, their backers, accountable as

well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: The U.S. has consistently said that they consider the Houthis to be funded, equipped, trained by Iran, part of this -- the so-called Axis of

Resistance. We have also heard over the weekend from the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying effectively that this mission is a favor to the

world, saying that it takes away the ability of the Houthis and by definition, of Iran, to control this very crucial waterway, which is where

some 15 percent of global sea trade did, at one point, travel through. Of course, many have been diverted away from this area over the last year and

a half.

So, the Houthis themselves said they would retaliate. They claim they have. They said on Sunday that they actually fired about 18 missiles and drones

against the American aircraft carrier, the USS Harry Truman, which is in the Red Sea. U.S. officials -- two U.S. officials tell CNN, there were no

injuries. There was no damage. It's not clear at this point if they even had to launch to try and intercept any of those potential launches. It's

not the first time that the Houthis have claimed that they have carried out attacks on U.S. aircraft carriers, when the U.S. has denied that has

happened.

But, what we're hearing from the Trump administration is that this will take days. It will take weeks. It will be sustained, and they are very much

looking at Tehran to have some kind of a response to this as well, given the fact that just last week the U.S. President Donald Trump sent a letter

to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, saying that they needed to make a deal. They needed to discuss the nuclear program in

Tehran. So, what we're seeing is the Trump administration certainly putting more pressure on that country at this point. Christina.

MACFARLANE: All right. Paula Hancocks, many thanks for your reporting, for now.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he'll move to fire the country's Head of Security Service, known as the Shin Bet, this week. The

agency is in charge of monitoring domestic threats. Mr. Netanyahu has often criticized the agency for security lapses ahead of the October 7th attacks.

Gaza's health ministry says at least nine people were killed in an Israeli strike in northern Gaza on Saturday. A British-based charity says almost

all of those killed were aid workers. The attack is the deadliest incident since a ceasefire went into effect in January.

Meanwhile, Israel said on Sunday, a negotiating team was in Egypt meeting with officials to discuss the remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. It

comes after the U.S. presented a new proposal that would secure the release of several hostages in exchange for extending the ceasefire past Ramadan

and Passover.

All right. Just ahead, as Ukraine's future hangs in the balance, we'll check in with our White House reporter for more on what the U.S. President

is saying about a crucial phone call. Plus, Cuba struggles to restore power after a nationwide outage. Why fears are growing for the country's fragile

electricity grid?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Welcome back to One World. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London. Here are some of the headlines we're watching today.

The Vatican has released the first photo of Pope Francis since he was hospitalized a month ago. Here we see the 88-year-old attending Mass on

Sunday at a chapel in Rome's Gemelli hospital. Pope Francis has been battling pneumonia. The Vatican says the pontiff is continuing with his

treatments and therapies.

Well, authorities in North Macedonia are investigating a fire that tore through a nightclub, killing 59 people. A hospital official says many were

crushed to death in the race to escape. More than 150 people were injured. Sunday's fire is suspected to have been sparked by on-stage pyrotechnics.

Officials say the club was operating with an illegally used license.

Canada's new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, met with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier today in Paris. It was Mr. Carney's first

international trip since taking office last week. Mark Carney was greeted warmly in Europe, a sharp contrast to the hostility his country received

from U.S. President Donald Trump. Later today, Mr. Carney will meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles in London.

President Trump says he will speak with his Russian counterpart on Tuesday about efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine. The Kremlin confirms a

planned call with Vladimir Putin. President Trump says negotiators have already pinpointed certain topics up for discussion, including land and

power plants.

Well, CNN's Alana Treene is standing by for us, live from Washington, with latest from the White House. Alayna, before this announcement from Trump

came about the phone call on Tuesday, we know that Steve Witkoff was also in talks with Russia, the Putin camp just last week. What more details are

we learning about what is being set up in readiness for this call?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, yes, you're exactly right. Last week, Thursday evening, actually, Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's envoy,

well, envoy to a lot of different places now, was initially the Middle East, but he has been very involved in Russian-Ukraine affairs. We also

know he traveled to Armenia, or -- excuse me, Azerbaijan, last week to talk about Armenia. But, all to say, he met with President Putin directly on

Thursday evening. I was told that meeting lasted several hours into the early morning of Friday.

[11:30:00]

And then, over the weekend, he traveled to Florida and met with the President himself at Mar-a-Lago to debrief him on what happened. Now, in my

conversations with White House and Trump officials, and we've heard this now from the President himself directly, they all said that the

conversations went very well, not going very much into specifics. But, what we can glean from what Witkoff has said publicly, including on CNN

yesterday with Jake Tapper, and then what we heard from the President speaking to reporters on Air Force One, they do believe that there is a

path forward to try to bring Russia to the table here and agree to that temporary ceasefire deal that we know the U.S. delegation, when they met in

Jeddah with some of the Ukrainians, had gotten the Ukrainians to agree to as well.

Now, I think there is a key thing that we heard from the President yesterday while talking to reporters on Air Force One. He said that a lot

of good work was done over the weekend. He wants to see if they can bring the war to an end. He thinks they can, but then went on to say that they'll

be talking about land. He said, quote, "A lot of land is a lot different than it was before the war. As you know, we'll be talking about land. We'll

be talking about power plants." That's the big question.

Just to read between the lines there, and I'm informed about this in my conversations with Trump administration officials, this reads to me as one

of the key points that he wants to talk about on this call with Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow. And all of that comes into play when you

remember the context of what we've heard from Trump officials in the past. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for example, has said repeatedly now that

all sides are going to have to make some concessions. A lot of those concessions, of course, are going to be about land and territory. We know

that is a huge priority. So, that's going to be one of the key things to watch for in this call tomorrow.

And then, of course, the big goal here with the United States and in their talks with the Russians is going to be about getting them to agree to that

temporary ceasefire as well. We know that the United States and those involved in these conversations, with the President himself as well, has

said directly that the ball is now in Russia's court to move these talks further. We know as well that the President, President Donald Trump,

believes very much that he is one of the best negotiators, that he is someone who can interact and has a good relationship with Putin. And so,

all of that, again, playing out behind the scenes as we look ahead to tomorrow.

But, I think the key thing that they're looking for is to try and figure out what exactly are the Russians willing to put on the table. What are

they willing to concede to in order to agree to this temporary ceasefire deal, and how far can the President really get them to commit during that

call tomorrow?

MACFARLANE: Yeah. Some big questions on the table there. Alayna Treene for us at the White House. For now, thank you.

An explosion at a thermal power station caused a nationwide blackout in Panama. The electrical system was fully restored on Sunday morning, more

than six hours after much of the country was plunged into darkness. It's believed the massive outage was caused by a damage to a private power

generator that triggered the system's protection. The blackout also affected water treatment plants, forcing officials to suspend access to

drinking water.

Turning now to Cuba, where power has returned to about two thirds of Havana after Cuba's national electrical grid collapsed on Friday. 10 million

people were left without power after a substation transmission line in the island's capital shorted. However, many homes remain in the dark, and some

schools are still closed as the island continues to recover.

CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Power was slowly returning after a nationwide power outage in Cuba, but the issue remains that power comes

back in certain areas or neighborhoods and then immediately crashes. It just goes to show the fragility of the electricity system here. Officials

say they have been working around the clock. But, this all began on Friday night after one substation had a piece of aged equipment, apparently, fail,

and that brought down the power in the entire nation of Cuba, more than 10 million people in the dark.

And the concern is, while this has happened, this is the fourth nationwide power outage in the last six months, but the concern is that you have

something that is relatively small like this, just a one power plant has an issue, and that takes out power electricity for the entire nation, and that

has led to people losing food, having to sleep outside, having to charge their cell phones with the lucky people here who have generators. Of

course, the greater concern as we get into the hotter months is, will Cuba's aging power grid, which officials here blame on U.S. sanctions, they

said the U.S. sanctions specifically target the power grid in Cuba, economic sanctions.

But, as well, there has just been a severe lack of investment over the years in the government's power system here, and that has led to failure

after failure, and certainly as we get into little warmer months, there will be more demand.

[11:35:00]

People want to turn on their fans. They want to turn their ACs, and that could very likely lead to more outages.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, Donald Trump is talking tariffs. He gave reporters on board Air Force One some insight into his thinking on them. We'll take a

closer look at what he is proposing next. Plus, a doctor and Brown University professor with a valid visa is deported to Lebanon despite a

U.S. judge's order blocking the move. We'll have more on her case next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Welcome back to One World. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London.

Let's take a look at where the U.S. market started the week. The Dow there actually up by 0.37 this morning. That's actually after -- NASDAQ up, I

should say. Sorry. The Dow and the S&P up. NASDAQ down. That's after all U.S. stocks ended in the red last week. And even as Wall Street grows

increasingly anxious about the damage the President's trade war could inflict, the White House is not doing much to calm those fears. Earlier,

the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said Trump's policies are creating a toxic stew for the global economy that could grow

even worse. It comes after Donald Trump threatened additional tariffs starting April 2nd. Here is what he said to reporters on board Air Force

One on Sunday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: No. I have no intention. April 2nd is a liberating day for our country. We're going to be getting back some of the wealth that very, very

foolish presidents gave away because they had no clue what they were doing. And April 2nd, I would have made it April 1st, but you know what April 1

is? April Fool's Day. I figured. I don't like doing it, but I made it April 2nd. It's a liberation day for our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, let's bring in CNN's Anna Stewart in London. So, Anna, Donald Trump, by no means, cowed by the turmoil this has wreaked on the

markets in recent weeks. Now doubling down on tariffs, it seems.

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and I'm not sure we're hugely surprised by that. Last week, we had such a barrage of tariff news. Markets

were so volatile, but nothing would really seem to stop the President in his mission with tariffs. And we had a lot of back and forth. And of

course, some tariffs were sort of threatened and then pulled back. The metals ones, on aluminum and steel, they were implemented on Thursday.

Right now, we see markets pretty flat.

[11:40:00]

Retail sales for February were actually not too bad, better than January in the U.S. So, perhaps investors having a little bit of relief there.

But, what's been so interesting is the market moves last week, and whether or not this will change the minds of those at the White House whatsoever.

We had some comments from the Treasury Secretary. He was speaking in an interview with NBC. And he was asked, what did he make of the market

volatility? Here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: It would have been much healthier if someone had put the brakes on in 2006-2007. We wouldn't have had the

problems in 2008. So, I'm not worried about the markets. Over the long term, if we put good tax policy in place, deregulation and energy security,

the markets will do great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: He did mention, of course, there tariffs, which is one of the biggest policies for the Trump administration. April 2nd is the big day for

reciprocal tariffs. Those are tariffs that are already implemented on the U.S., and the U.S. wants to put them back, but also sector tariffs. So, we

can expect to see things like autos perhaps included on April 2nd.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. A lot of room between now and April 2nd. We'll wait to see. We were mentioning there as well that the OECD has lowered its

economic projections from U.S. and actually for the world this year and next, largely due to tariffs. I suppose that's no big surprise either.

STEWART: No big surprise. But, this was interesting, because really, it's the first big report we've had that is analyzing the impact and forecasting

what the impact will be of the tariffs, both those that have been implemented and those that are threatened. And it is very interesting that

they're cutting economic growth projections for the world, but for the U.S. specifically, they're saying they expect growth to come in at 2.2 percent

this year and 1.6 percent next year. Now, that is actually a downgrade of a half a percentage point from their forecast just in December. And for

Canada, Christina, 1.5 percent is what GDP was last year. They're expecting Canada to grow at just 0.7 percent this year and next. Canada is hugely

impacted by steel and aluminum tariffs.

And this report really came with a warning from the OECD Secretary General. He said there will be higher costs for production, but also for

consumption, and he really warned that it's essential to ensure a well- functioning rules-based international trading system to keep markets open. Those were the words from OECD. I don't think, given all the rhetoric we've

had from President Trump, that they will make much difference.

MACFARLANE: No, absolutely not. Anna Stewart for us there breaking it down. Thanks, Anna.

Now, separately, a hearing scheduled today concerning the deportation of a Rhode Island doctor has been canceled. This after most of the attorneys

associated with the plaintiff withdrew from the case. The 34-year-old doctor, who was also an assistant professor at Brown University, has been

deported to Lebanon despite a judge order blocking her immediate removal. U.S. Customs and Border Protection say its officers did not receive the

order in time. The judge is giving the government one week to provide the court with more information. Meanwhile, Brown University sent a campus-wide

email on Sunday advising its international students and faculty members to avoid international and domestic travel.

Let's bring in Jeff Swartz. He is a former Miami-Dade County Judge and a Professor at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Thank you so much for joining

us. So --

JEFF SWARTZ, FORMER MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COURT JUDGE, & PROFESSOR, THOMAS M. COOLEY LAW SCHOOL: My pleasure.

MACFARLANE: -- the judge said the request came from the attorneys as a result of further diligence. Any idea what's happened here?

SWARTZ: Well, apparently, what seems to be the story is that -- I'm sorry that my phone is acting very strange.

MACFARLANE: No problem.

SWARTZ: Apparently they didn't get the order to the people at the airport on time, or they refused to take it. There is some indication that there

was an attempt to serve the Customs and Immigration Service, and they refused to take it. It also seems to be that there was an ex parte. That is

an order that was entered without notice to the government of a hearing because of the emergency nature of what was going on, so as a result of

which she got sent on an airplane back to Lebanon. There was also a request that if in the order -- for the order to also say, please return her if she

has left. So, she was being held in cognito in the context that no one knew exactly where she was.

MACFARLANE: Can you talk to us a bit about the type of visa that's been rescinded here, the type of visa she had? I believe it was a H-1B visa,

which I understand is quite difficult to obtain in the U.S.

SWARTZ: It is very difficult to obtain, and it is an employment type of visa. This wasn't a student visa. She was employed by the university. This

is like her fourth job, I guess, doing what she does as a doctor in the United States as she does fellowships, and she was employed in and had the

right visa.

[11:45:00]

This is a visa which, by the way, the President of the United States stated during the campaign, this is a visa he likes. We should have these people

here. We need those kind of people to do the kind of work that they do. And in this particular case, for whatever the reasons were, she was denied re-

entry. It has not been disclosed as to why she was denied re-entry, and I'd really like to hear the reasons that immigration has for this.

MACFARLANE: And what does it say then that individuals who hold this type of visa are in legal jeopardy in some way here, especially in light, as

I've just been saying, that the university itself, Brown University, are now emailing students as part of the faculty and saying, to avoid

international and domestic travel? I mean, how unusual is this?

SWARTZ: Well, when it comes, it is unusual, but usually the people that hold these kinds of visas are free to travel back and forth between their

home country and the United States. For some reason or another, they stopped her from coming back. And so, they're telling their students and

they're telling their workers who have visas, don't leave the country, because we can't guarantee you can get back in. Customs -- not customs, but

immigration may, in fact, choose to not allow you to come back in for whatever reason they have, and they can just keep you at the airport, put

you on an airplane and send you home.

MACFARLANE: It's a worrying development. Is it not, Jeff? We appreciate your thoughts there.

SWARTZ: It's very worrying.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. We appreciate your thoughts, though, Jeff, for now. Thank you.

Now, are you ready to fill out your bracket? The field is set for the NCAA basketball tournament. After the break, what team the experts say will cut

down the net?

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MACFARLANE: The field is set for one of the biggest and most popular sporting events in the U.S. every year. We are, of course, talking about

the NCAA College Basketball tournament, affectionately nicknamed March Madness because of all the wild endings and unpredictable upsets it

produces. The 6018 field is led by the four number one seeds, Auburn, Duke, Houston and Florida. The oddsmakers in Las Vegas have made the Duke Blue

Devils, led by superstar freshman Cooper Flagg, the top pick to win the title.

Let's bring in CNN's Andy Scholes with more.

[11:50:00]

Andy, I know you've been waiting for this moment. Just walk us through how the bracket is looking.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, this is the time where everyone, they're getting a bracket pool with their friends or co-

workers, and of course, you want to beat them. And in order to have a successful bracket, the key is trying to pick that Final Four correctly.

And if you want to win your bracket pool, you pretty much have to get the champion correct. And there are some stats and trends that can help you do

that. One of them is called KenPom. It measures a team's offensive and defensive efficiency, and every single champion since 2002 has been top 40

in offense and top 22 in defense by the end of the tournament.

So, who qualifies for that right now? Well, you got Duke, Auburn, Houston, Florida, Tennessee, Michigan State, Iowa State, Maryland, Clemson,

Louisville and UCLA. Now, there are some good teams that are not on that screen right now. For example, Alabama, a two seed, top five in offense,

but their defense, not good enough. And then look at a St. John, best defensive team in the country, but according to KenPom, their offense is

not good enough to win the national title. Now, another trend to look at, the last 20 champions have all been the top 12 in the week six AP poll.

There is a noticeable team missing from this poll. That's the Houston Cougars. They got off to a slow start this year.

Now, I like showing this map every single year. You see this red line down the middle of the country. Every single champion since 1997 has been east

of that line. So, maybe not a good sign for a Texas Tech, UCLA or Gonzaga.

So, if we go back to our teams that already qualify right now, we can cross them off, Houston, not in that week six poll, neither was Michigan State,

neither was Clemson, neither was Louisville, neither was UCLA, and they're on the wrong side of that line. So, who should you pick? Well, since 1979,

one seeds win the overwhelming majority of the time, 27 times. So, if you go back here, if you go to your bracket, Duke, winning it all, Auburn

winning it all, Florida winning it all. Those would all be solid picks. You could end up with a very good bracket with those as your eventual national

champions.

Christina, I went to the University of Houston. So, I'm going to completely ignore that week six poll that I just talked about. I'm thinking my Houston

Cougars to go all the way and win it all in San Antonio, Texas. But, it's all about having fun. And these brackets, they are due Thursday before the

games tip off for round number one.

MACFARLANE: Well, I have been notoriously terrible every year, even predicting the Final Four, let alone the champion. So, I will take this on

advisement, Andy Scholes, and follow the --

SCHOLES: I hope you took for (inaudible).

MACFARLANE: -- wins. Thanks so much, Andy.

For more on that, World Sports for you coming up on March Madness.

But, one more note for you, it was a rare Monday of golf on the PGA Tour today, as Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun faced off in a playoff for the

Players Championship. McIlroy ran away with it when he stayed out of the water on the famous 17th island green, while Spaun dumped his tee shot in

the water. The northern Irishman becomes the first European to ever win the prestigious Players Championship twice, and on St. Patrick's Day, to boot.

Very nice.

Now, the Princess of Wales made a solo appearance at the Irish Guards' annual St. Patrick's Day parade today. Kate Middleton joined the regiment's

celebrations at the Wellington Barracks in London, serving in her capacity as colonel of the Irish Guards. Kate took over from the event -- took over

the event from husband, Prince William. She awarded long service and good service medals to soldiers in the regiment, and participated in the parade

by presenting the traditional sprigs of shamrock. She was also seen enjoying a sip of Guinness with the soldiers. Why not?

And you are looking at live pictures from Savannah, Georgia's party on St. Patrick's Day, a massive parade and rousing festivities that glorify the

importance of Irish heritage.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

MACFARLANE: And of course, we can't forget what's happening in Ireland's capital itself. Crowds in Dublin took to the streets, cheering on the city

service members like these police and firefighters, you can see they're walking by. On Saturday, the luck of the Irish took over the Chicago River,

turning its water bright green. This has been a St. Patrick's Day tradition in the Midwestern U.S. city for more than 60 years. Thousands lined

Chicago's riverside and bridges to cheer as the dyed water started to glow.

And finally this hour, two American astronauts who had their weeks-long space mission extended by several months, are now scheduled to splash down

to Earth on Tuesday. That's slightly quicker than NASA anticipated, thanks to the nice weather. But, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams welcomed members

of the Crew-10 mission at the International Space Station on Sunday.

[11:55:00]

They'll take over for Wilmore and Williams. They've been struck in space since June because of the technical issues with the spacecraft they arrived

on. Can't wait to see that.

Now, stay with us on CNN. I'll have more with One World after this quick break. Stay with us.

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