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Kuno Fencker is Interviewed about Vance's Trip to Greenland; Derek Maltz is Interviewed about the Fentanyl Crisis; February Inflation Numbers. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired March 28, 2025 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:30:07]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, happening now, Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, are on their way to Greenland. It comes after major changes to what was originally a solo cultural trip, they called it, for the second lady to a dog sled race. Then came backlash. Greenland's prime minister called the trip highly aggressive, which, of course, all followed President Trump's comments about annexation.

We should also note, the changes came after the Signal scandal. So, maybe the vice president wanted to pull some focus and attend also. Maybe that's why he decided to go. No more dog sleds, though. The couple will be visiting the U.S. Space Force base there.

With us now is Kuno Fencker, a member of parliament in Greenland.

Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

Why do you think they backed off some of the cultural aspects of the trip? No more dog sled race.

KUNO FENCKER, GREENLAND PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Well, I think it's unfortunate that they can't see the cultural event here in Greenland. It could have been a very good marketing for Greenland, and also show that Greenland is ready to diversify its economy towards more tourism and so forth.

But nonetheless, they postponed - maybe postponed the - the trip to Greenland. In a way, they only visit the Pituffik Space Base, which they are absolutely in their right to do.

It also shows in a way that, you know, strategic narratives in regards to Greenland can be shaped and weaponized in a negative way. You know, especially from the Danish outlets, we see that they are framing the United States as a threatening force. It's like almost they are saying that the - the United States is an axis of evil, even though they just made a defense agreement in the Danish government that - that the United States is also the most important ally for the - for Denmark. So, I don't know the irony here, the double moral. So.

BERMAN: There's a lot of irony and double morals, as you say, standards, I think.

What's the reaction, if there is any inside Greenland, to the visit from the U.S. vice president?

FENCKER: Well, they are not visiting Nuuk or Sisimiut anymore. They are going directly to the - the space base and a bit of (INAUDIBLE) northwest Greenland. So, that is in their absolute right. I will hope that they will be greeted positively in their own space base and see what's really going on in Greenland and how important the space base is for the security of the United States and also Greenland.

BERMAN: What do people think when they hear President Trump talk about annexation, say things, like, we'll get it one way or the other?

FENCKER: That is negative rhetoric. And that hasn't helped. Especially our party's work for independence and more sovereignty and take the sovereignty of Greenland.

But that wouldn't stop us at all. And we will always say our voice, maybe in a high manner, that our right to external self-determination, our right to sovereignty of Greenland is non-negotiable. But we will always be willing to work with the United States in regards to defense and security, as we have always done.

BERMAN: And, of course, you and your party, you want independence from Denmark, correct? And how is that being affected by the U.S. interest?

FENCKER: Well, I think it - the negative rhetoric from the U.S. has maybe made a lot of fear here in Greenland to work towards independence. But we are fully aware that we can't be fully independent. That's utopia. We need cooperation. And our right to external self-determination is based on a negotiated agreement with - with Denmark. And we can give out sovereignty to Denmark or any other supranational entity or another entity in regards to cooperation. But the main goal is to have sovereignty of our own country in which were taken from Denmark in 1953. And we just want it back. And make an equal cooperation with any who - who is a friendly ally.

BERMAN: Kuno Fencker, member of parliament in Greenland, we appreciate your time this morning. Thank you very much for being with us.

We are getting some breaking news just in. Just hearing that 81 people are trapped in that collapsed building you're seeing right there in Bangkok after that earthquake, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake, rocked southeast Asia.

[08:35:10]

We're getting new reports in. The death toll is rising.

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BERMAN: New this morning, the deputy attorney general is proposing a plan to merge the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the ATF, with the Drug Enforcement Agency, the DEA. Three sources say the plan is not final. [08:40:02]

A memo detailing it also details possible changes to make the grant process involving local and state police training and crime fighting more efficient.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, this weekend, we are bringing a special project to you, two years in the making. A look at the fentanyl crisis like you've never seen it before, hearing from those impacted you've never heard from before.

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Found you overdosed in a parking lot at the gas station, OK. You weren't breathing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Addiction is very painful. It hurts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wanted to be clean so bad, but it's just too hard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mom found me in the bathroom one time and had to call 911.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She is in severe withdrawal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would I bring a kid into this world addicted to drugs?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought, this is my poor daughter. What happened to you? What happened to you?

BOLDUAN: Where are you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where are you? But I know she was always in there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's actually more dangerous to stop using if you're already pregnant.

BOLDUAN: Do people need to be using methadone for life?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I'll put one in each cheek, OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have accepted that whatever I have to do to be sober, I'm going to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: In the search for answers and solutions in the battle against this drug, one thing is certain, that this crisis has hit every community, every race, rich, poor, and everyone in between. And we know that this crisis is a major focus of the Trump administration.

Joining us right now is one of the leaders at the forefront of this fight for the administration, the acting administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Derek Maltz.

Administrator, thank you for coming in.

As a top priority of the administration, some of - a lot of the focus has been on cutting off supply of fentanyl coming into the country. How much of the flow has been cut off? Do you have numbers on how much it's been able to be slowed or cut off with the combined efforts so far?

DEREK MALTZ, ACTING ADMINISTRATOR, DEA: So, Kate, thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it. I look forward to the show on Sunday night. This is important. This is a national security, public health emergency, and I'm so happy to be talking to you.

So, number one, we have seen a decrease in seizures of fentanyl. We know the cartels are on the run like they've never been before because we're aggressively going after them. The men and women of DEA, working with our counterparts around the country and around the world, we're really putting a lot of pressure on them.

What I would say is, we also have seen a decrease in the purity, which is also a good sign.

But we know from our intelligence that the cartels are very concerned about their well-being, and that's a good thing, because they're narco terrorists and they're destroying our country at record levels, our communities.

BOLDUAN: And taking on the cartels is a part of the problem. So - taking on supply is a big part of the problem.

What I've discovered in this project, though, and I know you've seen it on your side as well, is supply is only part of the problem, not the whole problem. It's also a demand problem, because, if it's not killing people outright, it is also locking them into horrible addiction. People looking at lifelong recovery if they can get into treatment.

What's the administration's position and approach in helping more people access that treatment and really trying to decrease the demand?

MALTZ: So, great question, and I'm so happy that you brought this up because, yes law enforcement is doing a tremendous job. I'm proud to be representing the DEA and counterparts that are working on this from a law enforcement point of view.

However, I work with thousands of families. And one thing that they've all said is that they were upset that they never knew about fentanyl, they never had a chance to save their children, because our children are being deceived to death. This is not a political issue. I've been saying for years, this is not a red or a blue issue, it's a red, white and blue issue. Every American should unite.

Now, that being said, I would like to see mandatory education in every school in America because we've never faced this type of crisis in the history of this country. We want to use outreach ambassadors, professional athletes, social media influencers, because we want to go where the kids are. They're on the videos all day long, seven days a week, 24/7, you know, on social media sites. So, we have to teach them. We have to find individuals that have hundreds of millions of followers, and we have to put together PSAs, and we have to educate them. Because, guess what, this is going down a very bad path. Kids are being deceived to death. And guess what, the families are not aware of the magnitude of this threat. So, thanks to shows like this and your story coming out this weekend, more and more people are going to be educated. But we have a lot of work to do.

BOLDUAN: There is a lot of work to do. And one thing we've seen is - in this evolving crisis, really is, with the great production of medicines like Narcan that are helping to keep people alive if they have an overdose.

[08:45:13]

One thing we are seeing is, though, that has created now a way - overdose deaths are coming down, but a wave of people who are facing lifelong addiction to what is such a powerful drug. They are - they - they cannot do it without often medically assisted treatment like methadone. Without it, research has shown, that recovery is less than - people in recovery have less than a 10 percent chance of not relapsing if they don't have some medical assisted treatment.

I want to play for you how one leading expert described this to me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. PAUL UPDIKE, SUBSTANCE USE MEDICAL DIRECTOR, CATHOLIC HEALTH: I look at this as the treatment of a chronic illness. I mean it's not that difficult for me to think of it as that much different than if I was prescribing you insulin.

BOLDUAN: With a chronic illness like diabetes, you're using the medication for life. Do people need to be using methadone for life?

UPDIKE: Yes. Most patients.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That had me thinking of this in a different way. Do you - does the president view fentanyl addiction as a chronic disease?

MALTZ: Yes. I mean, obviously he had a press conference like two weeks ago. It's the first time I've seen a press conference talking about fentanyl poisoning. And believe me, DEA recognizes the importance of these opioid use disorder drugs. And we're going to continue to make sure they're readily available to all Americans that need them. We're going to rely on expert addiction specialist, doctors and professionals to make sure that people can get what they need, because we're in the business of saving lives and keeping the community safe.

BOLDUAN: That will - that will be wonderful news for people to hear, the commitment of the administration to - expanding access to these medications because in my - what I've seen over the past two years is it's nearly impossible for people to make it out of this addiction, to lower the demand and to survive without it.

The latest data from just this past September shows some good news, which is, overall overdose deaths are down nearly 24 percent. That's a decline in 45 states. But also within the data, it also projects that overdose deaths among black men in their 30s and 40s is still on the rise, expected to rise this year by over 10 percent.

What is the administration planning to do? How do you - how do you plan to help this community specifically to change that?

MALTZ: Number one, fentanyl doesn't discriminate. It devastates. And it hurts all people all over America. And this administration and the DEA and our law enforcement partners is committed, 100 percent committed to not only disrupt, degrade and destroy the cartels, but to help save lives in every community around America.

BOLDUAN: One thing that I wanted to ask you about is, in the over - how does this crisis that we're facing and your efforts to fight it, how does it fit into the overall effort by the administration around government efficiency and cutting spending? And we know that we've seen workforces, federal employees also - the federal workforce also being cut. Does the DEA need the same, more or less money to effectively fight this evolving fentanyl crisis now?

MALTZ: DEA is committed on the streets every day making seizures. Like last week we see 700,000 pills of - fake pills of fentanyl in Phoenix that could have killed 350,000 Americans. But DEA is going to do it. We were used to doing more with less.

However, if you slash resources from the DEA and law enforcement who are fighting for public safety and national security, that's like turning off the water in a raging fire. Right now we have a raging fire. We've made great progress.

Look, I was at Dulles Airport last month where seven high level Mexican cartel leaders got off a Mexican military flight. I've never seen that in the history of my life in DEA, 30 years doing this, and we had 29 individuals arrive in America that day, one being Rafael Caro Quintero, who allegedly killed Kiki Camarena over 40 years ago.

So, we're going to continue to fight and use all tools of national power. And we're looking forward to the progress, we're looking forward to the death numbers continuing to go down. But we got to remember, this is killing infants, too. It's not just drug users. Remember the Dominican boy who went to the daycare center in New York and he was - he was left to die. And then three others, they went down on the mats and they had to get revived by Narcan.

[08:50:01] That's unacceptable. Parents can't be sending kids to daycare centers and getting the call that the kid is dead. Unacceptable. And we have to work very hard. And we know that this administration is absolutely fully engaged in this crisis.

BOLDUAN: Administrator, thank you for coming on. It's - it is important also to hear you speaking out, talking about how cutting funding for the DEA now is like cutting off the water in the middle of a raging fire. That's an important message to be sent, because we are in the middle of a raging fire when it comes to the fentanyl crisis for sure.

So many - so many facets and aspects to this crisis. Thank you for coming on to talk about many of it. I really appreciate it.

And we - when we explore so much more of the complexities, the nuance of all of this in this special this weekend, "Fentanyl in America: A Way Out" air Sunday on CNN's "THE WHOLE STORY" presented by Anderson Cooper. That's at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, only on CNN.

Coming up still for us, a new inflation report just out shows inflation is holding steady and consumer spending is on the rebound. We're going to break down the numbers. That's next.

And a doctor is accused of trying to kill his wife after she allegedly turned him down for a selfie. There's new details that are being learned after his arrest.

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[08:55:44]

BERMAN: This morning, King Charles is recovering at home following a brief stay in the hospital. Royal officials say it was because of temporary side effects from his cancer treatment. He is said to be in good spirits but did cancel events today as a precaution. The palace says there is no cause for concern and that the side effects he experienced are not uncommon.

New this morning, police arrested Paul Kim, a man accused of firebombing Teslas at a repair facility in Las Vegas. Police say he shot up several vehicles before using Molotov cocktails to set them on fire. Police say he also spray-painted "resist" across the front doors of the building. He now faces charges in both state and federal courts. The attack is part of a recent wave targeting Teslas. Anger, driven in part, by CEO Elon Musk's ties to the Trump administration.

This morning, a doctor has been charged with attempted second-degree murder for allegedly attacking his wife on a hiking trail in Hawaii. The wife allegedly refused to take a selfie with him close to the edge of the trail. He is then accused of pushing her into bushes and hitting her in the head with a rock. According to an affidavit, the wife claims she saw him get out two syringes from his bag and he allegedly tried to use them on her. She says she heard other people coming and then crawled to them to safety.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Wow. All right, so we have breaking news just moments ago. A new economic report showing consumer spending up slightly last month as inflation held steady. What does this add to the overall picture? That's where CNN's Matt Egan comes in.

What's the big takeaway? Put it all in perspective for us.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Kate, the big takeaway is that American consumer spending rebounded in February. But the inflation numbers were a bit mixed. Let me run you through the key numbers. We're talking about the Fed's go-to inflation gauge PCE. And it showed that prices were up by 2.5 percent year over year in February. That was steady. That was exactly as expected. Month over month was also as expected.

You can see on that chart there that obviously inflation has improved a lot from two to three years ago.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

EGAN: But also the progress has kind of leveled out.

Now, here's why I think futures are down this morning is because core inflation, which excludes food and energy, that actually unexpectedly heated up. And that is viewed as the better indicator of where underlying inflation really is.

Now, here's the asterisk though. This is inflation for February, right? So, it does not capture the elephant in the room, which is, of course, the trade war. It's only accounting for the initial 10 percent tariff increase on China.

But we know that after that, tariffs went even higher on China. Plus, there were steel and aluminum. There was the tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Then next week we're expecting more tariffs.

BOLDUAN: Right.

EGAN: So, this is a snapshot in time. We've got to see what happens as those tariffs kick in to prices.

Now, the other key metric in this report is consumer spending, right? And that's really important because we've seen all these recession fears lately.

Now, the good news here is that consumer spending did rebound in February. You see it was up by 0.4 percent. That is a significant improvement from January, which was actually revised lower this morning. So, that is good news.

But again the question is, what happens to consumer spending as everyone sort of tries to make sense of the policy shock coming out of Washington right now. It's not just trade, it's the immigration crackdown. It's the spending cuts, the layoffs. So, look, mixed picture right now, but we are seeing futures move a bit lower after digesting these numbers.

BOLDUAN: What do you expect to hear from - there's - maybe it's the same message, or could be divergent from - from analysts on this and kind of the trajectory this is going, and also then what's the White House going to take from this?

EGAN: Well, I think the White House is going to be relieved that consumer spending increased because, look, that is the biggest driver of the economy. And we have seen consumer confidence, consumer sentiment come down sharply.

BOLDUAN: Right, that's what you're - you were just reporting that for us this week.

EGAN: Exactly. And were actually expecting new sentiment numbers later this morning.

BOLDUAN: Right.

EGAN: But we know, and you and I have covered this before, that sometimes Americans tell pollsters that they hate the economy, especially when their party is out of the White House, but they keep shopping anyway.

[09:00:00]

So, the fact that spending rebounded is great because it does suggest that the drop in January was more driven by kind of a post-holiday.