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Auto Jobs Could Take a Hit to Tariffs on Imported Cars, Parts; Interview with Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC): Trump Plans to Impose Sweeping New Tariffs This Week; Myanmar Death Toll at Least 1,700 Following Massive Quake; FDA's Top Vaccine Official Begins Final Week After Being Forced Out. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired March 31, 2025 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Looming tariffs on imported cars and car parts could not only mean higher prices, but it could also mean layoffs. The White House so far, though, undeterred by these fears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER NAVARRO, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR ON TRADE AND MANUFACTURING: Trust in Trump. We have the example from the first term. We know that we imposed historically high tariffs on China. We imposed aluminum and steel tariffs. We imposed on washing machines, on solar. All we got out of that was prosperity and price stability.

And the reason why we're not going to see inflation is because the foreigners are going to eat most of it. They have to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That from Peter Navarro, the president's top trade adviser. Let's now get some more from CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich, who's got much more on this. Let's start with the whole concept of jobs and the impact this will have on jobs.

VENESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: There's two schools of thought, right? One, that it will bring jobs back to the U.S. But there's another school of thought that it will impact jobs here in the U.S., particularly in auto manufacturing, but also a ripple effect.

Let's say that Canada and Mexico, we got rid of the factories that help produce U.S. cars. But there are Americans that make car parts right here in the U.S. that actually ship out to Canada and Mexico to help make those cars. About 550,000 American jobs that could be impacted if those factories go away.

Also, the tariffs alone are going to increase prices by about 10 to 20 percent some say. That could be an impact on consumers. Are consumers going to pay those prices? Maybe not. And there won't be as much production. Thus, maybe less people needed to make those jobs. And of course, the retaliatory tariffs from a Canada, from a Mexico.

Well, that means that our foreign neighbors to the north and to the south may not want to buy as many vehicles. And that could also hamper the amount of people needed to produce those vehicles. But the UAW president, Shawn Fain, who represents the auto workers, say that tariffs are part of the solution here.

Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAWN FAIN, PRESIDENT, UNITED AUTO WORKERS: Tariffs aren't the total solution. Tariffs are a tool in the toolbox to get these companies to do the right thing. And the intent behind it is to bring jobs back here and, you know, invest in the American workers.

If they're going to bring jobs back here, you know, they need to be life sustaining jobs where people can make a good wage, a living wage, have adequate health care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: And there's been a little bit of mum-ness among the automakers. What are their plans with all of this? I spoke to a senior executive at an automaker who said that they have a couple lanes that they're exploring right now.

But to shift the entire supply chain would take years and years beyond when President Trump is in office. Do they make that move now? Do they make that investment now, considering that the president may be out of office, presumably out of office by the time that they get up and running?

It's just such a hard plan for them to make right now.

BOLDUAN: The level of uncertainty is like off the charts at this point. Leading to on a very immediate level, a lot of people asking, should they be going out to buy a car now before maybe prices do hike? What are you hearing about this?

YURKEVICH: Yes, there's a narrow window right now. In terms of new car inventory, about 85 days of inventory. That's pretty good. Used car inventory, though, about 50 days. That's not as good. But there's only about a few a dozen cars below $30,000 right now. If these tariffs take effect, that's going to increase those prices for about about over $5,000. So that is a hit for consumers. Right.

If you're trying to stay in that lower ballpark of prices, that's a hit. And obviously, sales are going to slow by the end of Q2 because they're anticipating this rush right now. But then they're expecting people to probably pull back on shopping just because of the anticipation of all of these tariffs.

BOLDUAN: This is just this is just uncertainty, uncertainty, uncertainty. Good to see you, Vanessa. Thank you so much.

YURKEVICH: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: John.

BERMAN: All right, with us now is Congressman James Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina. Congressman, thank you so much for being with us.

These tariffs, some tariffs, nonspecific at this point, set to go into effect April 2nd. The president was asked, what do you think if car prices go up? The president's response was he couldn't care less if the price of foreign cars in the United States goes up. Your response?

REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): Well, thank you very much for having me. Well, with foreign cars, one thing those cars made here another. Here in South Carolina I am particularly concerned because just a few miles from my home here is the Volvo plant.

[07:35:00]

Volvo just announced Scout Motors coming to Columbia, South Carolina. BMW up in Greenville, Mercedes Benz down in North Charleston.

What if there is retaliatory efforts being made by other countries? That will have a tremendous impact on what we can do for our citizens here in South Carolina, because we are keeping these cars here. We're shipping these cars out of the Charleston port into the foreign market. And if they begin to retaliate, that would be catastrophic for the economy here in South Carolina.

And not to mention, you talk about cars now, but our big property now is no longer tobacco, it's soybean. And what happens if China were to stop buying our soybean?

So this is something that we need to be very, very careful about. And I'm not too sure this White House is being careful at all.

BERMAN: Peter Navarro, trade advisor in the White House, says this would raise $6 trillion over 10 years. Who's $6 trillion are we talking about? Who pays that?

CLYBURN: I would like to know that myself. But, you know, Peter Navarro was around in the first iteration of the Donald Trump administration, and we know how that ended. So I don't put much stock in anything Peter Navarro has to say.

BERMAN: I know you have a lot of senior citizens in your district right now, people concerned about their Social Security. The administration delayed a new plan that was going to require people to give proof of identity either online or in person, remove the ability to do it by phone. That's been delayed. But what kind of concerns are you hearing about Social Security?

CLYBURN: A great deal of concern about Social Security. It's one thing to be delayed. It's something else to be denied. I would hope they would deny all of that and stop that foolishness. There are a lot of things that come along with the aging. And when you tell the person on Social Security that you got to get out of your house, you got to find somebody if you don't drive anymore, don't have any motor transportation and find a Social Security office that we just saw in the news is being closed. What are you talking about? What is this all about?

We should be making it easier for the people who are in their golden years to partake of the greatness of this country. We keep talking about making this country great again. Well, you aren't going to make this country great again by visiting misery on to senior citizens.

And I like to say to young people as well, Social Security is not just for senior citizens. It is for those of us who feel some responsibility for our parents and our grandparents, because if you destroy their Social Security, what is going to be their mode of livelihood? That falls on us.

So this whole thing of dividing generations and Social Security is not going to be here for you when you get older. It's there for you right now. The young people, I think it's time for you to speak out as well, because this is about your parents and your grandparents.

BERMAN: Congressman, the president said he was not joking about the notion of a possible third term in the White House. What do you think about that?

CLYBURN: Well, I don't think he's joking at all. I've been sounding that alarm since about 2017, when I first spoke out about that. I could see the patterns developing.

And I said at the time, I've read on this network, this man does not plan to leave this White House. And that is exactly what he's planning to do. I saw the textbook for the book written by General Martin Gary way back in 1876.

I've been telling people, if you want to know what's going on now, go back and see what happened in 1876 when Tilden and Hayes had their debacle. And Hayes became president of the United States and how Jim Crow came in to be it. And that's why I've been calling Project 2025, Jim Crow 2.0. All of this is about suspending, if not eliminating, the Constitution of the United States. And that's the track we're on. And I think people better get serious about this. When he says he's not joking about throwing away the Constitution, which is what he'll have to do in order to have a third term.

[07:40:03]

And we are not going to rise up in opposition to that. I think it's time for us all to wake up.

BERMAN: Congressman Jim Clyburn from South Carolina, nice to see you this morning. Thanks for coming on -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: So the death toll in Myanmar has now soared to 1,700 people after last week's 7.7 magnitude earthquake. Authorities say more than 3,400 others are injured, nearly 140 people are still missing, but the only thing that seems clear right now is that a full picture of the death toll and devastation, it will be, it will take weeks to emerge.

CNN's Will Ripley just sent in this report on the search for survivors.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If hell had a name, it might be Sagaing, ground zero of Myanmar's worst earthquake in more than a hundred years.

Stories and images are just now beginning to trickle out. The destruction, as awful as we imagined, may be worse.

The heroes are everyday people, like Po Po, a kindergarten teacher. She was with her students when the massive earthquake hit.

PO PO, KINDERGARTEN TEACHER IN MANDALAY: On that day of the accident, we were able to evacuate all the children. Many children and teachers in some schools lost their lives due to the earthquake.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Po Po's school is in Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city. Her home is across the river in Sagaing, a historic city known for ancient pagodas and monasteries, many of them now in ruins. She says 80 percent of the city is gone.

The old Sagaing bridge collapsed, cutting off aid, leaving survivors to fend for themselves. Even first responders are powerless. The fire station flattened, trucks crushed beneath the rubble.

About 200 miles away, Myanmar's famed Inle Lake, almost unrecognizable. Entire villages submerged. So many iconic homes on stilts collapsed into the water. Some here wonder if the world has forgotten them.

In Mandalay, near the quake's epicenter, a moment of hope.

Big brother, we are coming for you, he says. We found you. Your heroes are here. After this, we will sit and sip tea.

Against all odds, one life saved. Not everyone is so lucky. Minutes later, another powerful aftershock. The remaining structure gave way. Just like that, gone.

In the capital, Naypyidaw, a small miracle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello.

RIPLEY (voice-over): 44 hours after the quake, rescuers from Singapore pull a survivor from the rubble. A rare bright spot in the grim search for any sign of life. Hope of finding more buried survivors all but gone.

Back near ground zero, Po Po says no rescues are happening. Sagaing is almost totally cut off. Survivors are desperate for food, clean water, medical supplies. Every passing hour brings more uncertainty, more heartbreak.

RIPLEY: So much pain being felt right now in Myanmar and here, hundreds of miles away in Bangkok, where the around the clock search through that pile of rubble continues. People are here holding out hope that maybe, just maybe, they'll find somebody who's still alive in all of that. Even though as each hour passes, that becomes less and less likely.

Will Ripley, CNN, Bangkok.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right, thanks to Will.

The breaking news. Quote, this man does not care about the truth. The scathing new message from the FDA's top vaccine official about RFK Jr., this is what he said after being forced out of his job.

All right, the breaking news this morning, stock futures turning sharply downward, this after a huge sell-off in the Asian markets. The big drops come as the president issued some of his largest, though conflicting, threats on tariffs.

[07:45:15]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: So this morning, tens of millions of people are under threat and at least two people are dead as a line of dangerous storms moves toward the East Coast. Now in that system's wake, there are widespread power outages across the central United States. The storms spinning off tornadoes and golf ball sized hail.

CNN's Derek Van Dam tracking is all for us this morning. Derek, it already has wreaked so much damage and it's not over yet. What should people be expecting over the next couple days?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It just won't stop. Kate, we need to buckle up for a very busy week of severe weather and flash flooding. You're looking at scenes coming out of Indiana.

Look at these personal belongings within this house, basically splicing it in half because of a large oak tree that tumbled over in these straight line winds that impacted the Midwest. In all, we had about three confirmed tornadoes, but several hundred reports of wind damage. Look at that across the Midwest and into the lower Mississippi Valley.

This is interesting. My home state, the power outages over 300,000 customers. This area is from severe thunderstorms last night. The northern part of the state was from a full fledged ice storm from this weekend. So that is how wild the weather is. It's ongoing right now.

[07:50:00]

A line of storms rocking and rolling across the deep south, pressing eastward at about 50 miles per hour. There have been a few isolated tornadoes popping out of this, but this is generally severe thunderstorms with strong wind gusts. And that'll be continuing through the course of the day today. Enhanced risk where you see that shading of orange.

Later this afternoon and evening, the potential focuses for severe storms into the mid-Atlantic and into the northeast as well. So we're going to monitor that. A several day severe weather set up, the atmosphere reloading as we head into Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

And then check this out across the central Mississippi Valley and into the Ohio River Valley. This area could see significant rainfall in the coming days. We're going to watch out for the potential for flash flooding across Paducah and into Memphis.

This is going to be a very active week, keeping us all very, very much on our toes. Kate, back to you.

BOLDUAN: Yes, it sure sounds like it. Derek, thank you so much. We're going to watch this one closely.

BERMAN: All right, this morning, a political earthquake in France. A court there found far-right leader Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzlement. She was accused of misappropriating EU funds. Le Pen has denied any wrongdoing and has now been barred from running for office.

A new close call reported at Washington's Reagan National Airport. A United Airlines flight hit a kite while landing. Authorities say a family was flying that kite at a park just off the runway. That's not allowed. The flight from Houston managed to land safely with no damage. A day earlier, a Delta plane taking off from the same airport had a close call with an Air Force jet.

Police have released video showing a suspect they say vandalized a Tesla Cybertruck in a driveway in California. Police say the suspect, dressed in all black, slashed the tires and threw concrete at the car. Authorities say they are investigating the incident as a felony.

BOLDUAN: Also this morning, health experts are raising alarm once again over moves coming from America's public health agency. And the FDA's top vaccine official begins his final week of work after being forced out of his job. We're talking about Dr. Peter Marks. He's a man who played a key role in Operation Warp Speed during the first Trump administration in order to develop COVID-19 vaccines. He's long steered the FDA's regulation of vaccines, a widely respected scientist.

But he was just given an ultimatum by the new HHS secretary, RFK Jr. Resign or be fired. He resigned, effective April 5th. And in a letter to the acting FDA commissioner, Dr. Marks wrote this, in part.

It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.

Joining us right now, CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner for much more on this. Dr. Reiner, thanks for coming in this morning. What is your reaction to this news? What impact do you think it will have with Dr. Marks now being forced out?

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Kate. I think this was entirely predictable. President Trump, when he nominated Mr. Kennedy, Secretary Kennedy, in November for this role, said he was going to let RFK run wild on health. And that's exactly what he's doing.

RFK Jr. has a history of simply ignoring science. And in particular, doubting the safety of really any vaccine. Although he moderated his statements during his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate panel and tried to say that he's not anti-vaccine, he's just pro- safety. He has never been able to state which vaccine he actually thinks is safe and effective.

And he is just hellbent on pulling vaccines out of mainstream medicine. And this is just one of the ways that he's doing it. He tried to install a little-known former congressman, notable only for his opposition to the MMR vaccine. And the idea that vaccines promote autism as CDC director, Dr. Dave Weldon. That was pulled by the White House.

So he is really intent on hollowing out the long-respected, highly- affected infrastructure in our health apparatus that has protected American health for decades.

BOLDUAN: And Dr. Marks, I mean, he does not mince words in this letter as he is leaving. I want to read this portion, a bigger portion of what he wrote in this resignation letter.

As you are aware, I was willing to work to address the Secretary's concerns regarding vaccine safety and transparency by hearing from the public and implementing a variety of different public meetings and engagements with the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. However, it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.

[07:55:00]

And the Washington Post, Dr. Reiner, and others are reporting that RFK has also brought in a man to run a vaccine autism study within HHS. A man who for years has published papers claiming vaccines increase the risk of autism, which has been scientifically debunked. Where is this headed?

REINER: Well, he's looking for people to confirm his obsession that vaccines are unsafe. The person you mentioned, David Geier, who's not a physician and who actually has been cited by the state of Maryland for practicing medicine without a license, has long tried to prove this notion that vaccines cause autism.

And I just need to stress that the MMR vaccine, which has been the primary target of these conspiracy theories, has been around now for 60 years. And we have 60 years of safety and efficacy data. First of all, the vaccine is amazingly effective at preventing measles, 97 percent effective. And again, we have 60 years of data that completely refute this notion that this vaccine or any vaccine causes autism.

It is really widely considered settled science. RFK Jr. refuses to believe it. And he's intent on bringing in people who can confirm, you know, what really has become an obsession for him over the last 20 years.

BOLDUAN: That leads me to wonder who's going to fill this role. You have Bill Cassidy, the key senator on that Senate committee that was key to RFK's confirmation. He tweeted out his thanks to Dr. Marks for his dedicated service and says that Kennedy should replace him with someone of similar stature and credibility amongst a scientific community who will lead without bias.

But how easy or not is it going to be to fill that role? I mean, given Kennedy's track record, as you've laid out, with who he's bringing in, who is he likely to bring in?

REINER: You know, who knows? Again, places like NIH and FDA and CDC have been populated by career professionals, people who have dedicated their life to public service, the most widely respected health agencies in the world. And people are leaving now.

Last month, the primary deputy director at NIH, Dr. Lawrence Tabak, left. And we're going to continue to see this drain in talent. Who would want to work in an environment where people aren't interested in science?

They're just interested in basically servicing the wishes of a misguided secretary of HHS. And I'll say about Senator Bill Cassidy, really shame on him. Senator Cassidy was a well-respected physician prior to coming to Congress. He was a hepatologist, a liver specialist. And he had a particular interest in preventing liver cancer, which can largely be prevented by vaccinating people against hepatitis B. But yet, you know, he bent his knee and ultimately approved the nomination of a man who completely counter, you know, runs counter to his prior life work. Shame on him.

BOLDUAN: Look forward to hearing more from Senator Cassidy on what he thinks of this and now what should happen. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, thanks for coming in -- John.

BERMAN: This morning, local brewers around the country struggling after President Trump placed new tariffs on imported aluminum, an essential good for producing and selling beer, seen as Dianne Gallagher reports from Asheville.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A bustling brewery, cans stacked to the ceiling as new ones come down the line just six months ago.

ADAM CHARNACK, CO-FOUNDER, HI-WIRE BREWING: All this was destroyed in the hurricane. GALLAGHER (voice-over): Highwire Brewing's distribution warehouse fully underwater after Hurricane Helene.

CHARNACK: 1.3 million unfilled raw cans waiting to be filled with beer, almost 200,000 filled cans. And all that was destroyed.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Co-founder Adam Charnack says they've improvised and spent a lot of money to get Hi-Wire Brewing again.

GALLAGHER: Oh, yes. Cheers.

CHARNACK: Cheers.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): And while these cans are signs of a comeback, they're also the source of a new challenge.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is the beginning of making America rich again.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): President Trump imposed sweeping 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imported into the United States, much of which comes from Canada and is used by brewers around the country.

Now Trump says the tariffs will level the playing field for domestic manufacturing.

JAMES SMITH, ECONOMIC FORECASTER: It's a tax. A tariff is a tax.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Economists warn it's not that simple.

SMITH: The U.S. doesn't produce enough aluminum. We may cure that, but that'll probably take at least a decade. So we have to import it.

CHARNACK: There's only so many options on where you buy.