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Voters Hit Polls Tomorrow In Crucial Wisconsin Supreme Court Election; Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) Discusses Musk CIA Visit At Invitation of Director, Trump Not Firing People Amid Signal Chat Leaks, Trump "Not Joking" About 3rd Term; Rescue Window Closing After Deadly 7.7 Myanmar Quake. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired March 31, 2025 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:30:55]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: There is a big election tomorrow in the Badger State, and it's really the first political test of Donald Trump's second term.

Voters in Wisconsin are selecting a state Supreme Court justice, choosing between liberal candidate, Susan Crawford, and a Trump-backed conservative in Brad Schimel.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Elon Musk is putting himself right in the middle of this matchup. He is spending millions of dollars to boost Schimel. Last night, Musk held a town hall where he handed out a pair of million-dollar checks to attendees.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is live for us in Madison, Wisconsin.

Arlette, what impact is Musk's involvement having on the race?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, this election has really drawn a lot of national attention, including from the tech billionaire, Elon Musk, who has poured millions of dollars of his own personal fortune to try to help boost the conservative candidate, Brad Schimel.

Now, this race has already broken records to become the most expensive judicial contest in U.S. history, with the current spending around $80 million and an expectation that this could actually eventually hit the $100 million mark.

Now, in addition to Musk, there have been some other big donors on the Democratic side, including George Soros and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who have given money to the Wisconsin Democratic Party.

But that money is much smaller figures than what Musk and the groups aligned with him have contributed for this race.

Now, the Democratic candidate -- or sorry, I should say, the liberal candidate, Susan Crawford, has basically tried to turn this race into a referendum on Musk, hoping that voters who are frustrated with DOGE's efforts or Musk's big spending will turn out in this race.

Musk traveled to Green Bay, Wisconsin, last night to make a personal pitch to voters where, as you mentioned, he handed out two $1 million checks to attendees who were there.

And one thing that he tried to argue and express his concerns with this race is around the potential for redistricting, saying a liberal majority could potentially revisit those congressional maps here in Wisconsin.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELON MUSK, DOGE: If the Supreme Court is able to redraw the districts, they will -- they will gerrymander the districts and deprive Wisconsin of two House seats on the Republican side.

(BOOING)

MUSK: Yes, exactly. This is one of those things that -- that may not seem that it's going to affect the entire destiny of humanity, but I think it will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, the conservative candidate and Republicans are hoping that Trump's base will motivate -- mobilize in this election to turn out in big numbers for the conservative candidate.

It all comes as Wisconsin is really one of the most narrow or the narrowest battleground state that Trump won back in 2024.

So a lot riding on this election as it's also going to serve as a real test of voters sentiments and mood in these early months of the Trump administration.

SANCHEZ: Arlette Saenz, live for us in Madison, Wisconsin. Enjoy the cheese curds, my friend.

So Elon Musk's focus today shifts to the Central Intelligence Agency. He's visiting the headquarters of CIA in Langley, Virginia, at the invitation of Director John Ratcliffe.

A source telling CNN that Ratcliffe told the staff he wants to ask Musk about technology and advancing the mission of the agency.

Let's discuss with Democratic Congressman from California, Ami Bera. He's a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Congressman, thank you so much for being with us.

Are there any projects within the agency that you think Elon Musk could be helpful with? Do you see this potentially as a conflict of interest between a government contractor having this kind of access to the CIA director?

REP. AMI BERA (D-CA): You know, I do. You know, we had Director Ratcliffe in committee last week, and we specifically asked if DOGE was going in, going through, and the director reassured us that they weren't doing any personnel changes.

Now if he's going to look at technology and make advice and recommendations on how to protect A.I., et cetera., you know, there may be a role for that. But I certainly don't want Elon Musk at the CIA making personnel decisions.

[13:35:03]

SANCHEZ: I wonder if you know whether the agency has implemented any steps to ensure that sensitive information isn't disclosed through the work of DOGE, because it's still hard to get a read of exactly what they've accessed and where.

BERA: I mean, thus far -- again, last week we were given reassurances that DOGE did not have access to highly classified information. Again, if they're coming in to make some technology recommendations, et cetera., that's totally appropriate.

If they're going to do anything with regards to oversight, we think that has to come to the Intelligence Committee. And again, I would be very worried about DOGE or some 20 year olds getting access to highly classified information.

SANCHEZ: Congressman, earlier this month, the CIA did fire some probationary employees in addition to more than a dozen officers who worked on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion projects. Has there been any noticeable impact that you've become aware of from these firings?

BERA: So we raised that question with Director Ratcliffe. He reassured us that, operationally, that the layoffs of probationary employees, of the folks that were doing the DEI would not have any operational impact on the CIA's ability to do their work.

SANCHEZ: And you take him at his word?

BERA: I think we have to. Again, it's our job to do oversight. We're going to watch what Elon Musk is doing. We're going to ask for reports, and we're going to do our job as oversight.

SANCHEZ: Sure.

Congressman, I also want to get your thoughts on some of the fallout and the reporting from the Signal group chat leak. It reportedly included intelligence about the Houthis that had been provided by Israel.

And it doesn't appear at this point that anyone in the administration is going to be held responsible for that leak.

How do you think that might impact the way that some of our allies share intelligence with the United States? BERA: You know, I think it's really damaging, right? It damages our

credibility. I think how the Trump administration, how Secretary Hegseth and others have handled this.

Now, had they just come out and said, you know what, that was a boneheaded move. We never should have used Signal. And we're going to find out exactly how a reporter got on that chat. But we are going to put processes in place to make sure this doesn't happen.

Now we're seeing reports that Mike Waltz may have used Signal on other occasions, and that's really concerning.

So we are going to send a letter to Director Gabbard trying to get to the bottom of this.

SANCHEZ: Do Democrats have any mechanism for accountability beyond awaiting the results of this I.G. inspection?

BERA: You know, we're going to continue pushing it. Fortunately, some Senators, Republican Senators are taking this very seriously. It sounds like the Senate Armed Services Committee is taking it seriously.

So we're going to continue to hold folks accountable. And Director Gabbard gave me her word that we will see the full report of the investigation.

SANCHEZ: Lastly, sir, I want to get your reaction to Donald Trump saying that he's not joking about pursuing a third term in office, which the 22nd Amendment, as you know, currently forbids. What would it take for that to happen?

BERA: You know, he has shown that he doesn't really care about the Constitution, so we better take his threat of a third term really seriously.

We, as Democrats and Republicans, ought to come together, hold them to the Constitution, and make sure this doesn't happen. But again, I would take him at his word.

SANCHEZ: And, Congressman, when it comes to some of your Republican colleagues who have introduced -- at least one of them has introduced a bill that would seek to rewrite the 22nd Amendment, what's your message to them?

BERA: My message to them is we're a different branch of government. Stop kowtowing to the president. And actually, let's uphold the Constitution and do what's right.

SANCHEZ: Congressman Ami Bera, thank you so much for being with us.

BERA: Great. Thank you. Be well.

SANCHEZ: Thanks.

[13:38:47] Still ahead, the window to find survivors from a devastating earthquake in Southeast Asia is quickly closing. We have an update on the search-and-rescue operations when we come back.

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[13:43:21]

SANCHEZ: Time is of the essence as rescue crews search for survivors following last Friday's deadly 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar. And officials say they're making every effort to save lives as search teams carefully sift through mounds of rubble.

KEILAR: There are more than 2,000 people who have been confirmed dead from this, and officials are expecting that death toll to keep climbing. But they say it's likely going to be months to determine the full scope of this tragedy.

The disaster, which was the most powerful earthquake to strike Myanmar in more than a century, has also devastated parts of Thailand and China.

CNN's Mike Valerio has the latest.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boris and Brianna, there are really two centers of emotional gravity to this human catastrophe. One is in Bangkok. The other stretches through most of the country of Myanmar.

And in Bangkok, the epicenter is really the site of where that 33- story skyscraper imploded. And at the start of our day, our reporting teams were able to convey that more than 70 people are believed to be missing underneath the rubble of that imploded skyscraper.

The key window of 72 hours, the key window to find people alive, came and went today, earlier in the afternoon. And since that window closed, Boris and Brianna, no reports of anybody pulled out of that wreckage alive.

Again, more than 70 people thought to be underneath that rubble.

Moving over to Myanmar, ever since Sunday there have been reports of 36 survivors pulled out of the rubble from the epicenter of the quake. And even somebody who was able to survive more than 60 hours, 60 hours in the remains and the rubble of a hotel. She is in stable condition.

[13:45:05]

So where we end this conversation, where things are looking towards in the next few days and weeks, is the question of how humanitarian aid is going to be given to a country that is in the middle of a civil war.

This isn't just a magnitude 7.7 quake. This is a country where the military has taken over the government and has been fighting certain quarters of the country, pro-democracy and ethnic resistance fighting forces, ever since February 2021. So how is a relief effort going to be coordinated in the midst of all

of that? To that end, the leader of the World Food Program for Myanmar told CNN earlier today that one food distribution site was set up yesterday. Now there are three.

And he is confident that there will be pauses in the fighting to get help where it is needed most.

Boris and Brianna, let's send it back to you.

SANCHEZ: Mike Valerio, thank you so much for that update.

Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour.

Today, searchers found the bodies of three American soldiers who went missing after their armored vehicle sank in a bog in Lithuania. A fourth soldier remains missing.

The Army says these teams were finally able to lift the 63-ton vehicle, which had been submerged at least 15 feet of water, mud and silt.

The soldiers last week had been on a maintenance training mission to recover another vehicle. All of them were based out of Fort Stewart, Georgia.

Meantime, in France, the 2027 presidential dreams of far-right leader, Marine Le Pen, dashed after a court found her guilty of embezzlement and banned her from running for public office for five years.

Le Pen was accused of misappropriating European Union funds to pay staffers working for her political party. She's one of at least 20 members of the National Rally Party that have been convicted. Le Pen has denied any wrongdoing.

KEILAR: And U.S. Bank says it believes it's vice chair, Terry Dolan, was inside a small plane when it crashed into a Minneapolis area home over the weekend. You see the video here. This is video from a doorbell camera showing the plane nosediving on Saturday.

It sparked this huge fire here. The NTSB says preliminary information shows that one person was on board. Investigators are working to I.D. the victim. A person in the house managed to escape without injury.

National security adviser, Michael Waltz, is reportedly on thin ice over that group chat scandal on Signal. And the "Wall Street Journal" says it wasn't his first time hosting sensitive conversations on the platform. We'll have those details ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[13:52:23]

KEILAR: How are your March Madness brackets looking? Are you also 32,000 places behind Boris Sanchez, like I am?

(LAUGHTER)

KEILAR: Well, if you picked all the top seeds to make the Final Four, you're in great shape.

Auburn, Houston, Duke, Florida, they have booked their trips to San Antonio after some great finishes over the weekend.

SANCHEZ: CNN's Coy Wire joins us now.

Coy, the last time all four of the top seeds advanced to the Final Four was in 2008. I should point out, you are currently in roughly 7,000th place, 7,000 places above me.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Not bad. So we're doing pretty good, I would say. Not too bad, three of us, for two bald dudes, just trying to do our thing.

But here's the rest of my bracket.

(LAUGHTER)

WIRE: Because I did not pick whoever's going to win it this year. They're not in it. More on that in a second.

Look, 2008 was the only other time in Final Four history all four teams have been number one seeds. It was on the exact same dates as this year's and in the same place, San Antonio.

Think of that. Sunday night we had two seed Michigan State facing top overall seed Auburn and Johni Broome. Can't spell Broome without the boom.

Look at that. One of the best players in the nation. But they had a scary moment for him in the second half. Watch him fall awkwardly on his arm on his leg. Mom was in tears.

Broome left the game, but his Tigers held it down. And about six minutes later. Boris and Brianna, he's back like Maximus in the arena. The crowd goes wild.

And with his very first shot back, a big-man three. Are you not entertained? Broome finishes with 25 points, 14 rebounds. Auburn wins 70-64. They're on to just their second Final Four in school history. They've got Florida next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE PEARL, AUBURN TIGERS HEAD COACH: We've been a historic program in Michigan State. A team that gets the elite eight and never loses. OK?

We've got this guy right here. Number four, best player in the country. He was absolutely the man on the inside.

(CHEERING)

PEARL: And it's about everybody. We all -- we all share it. And how about the best fans in all college basketball.

You know where we're going, Tracy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE; You're going to the final.

PEARL: To the Final Four!

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Let's go.

Now, in the other game, Houston spanked the Volyn right out of the Volunteers, leaving them nothing but with tears. A defensive masterclass by Houston holding Tennessee to just 15 points in the first half, fewest in a half in any elite game, all time.

Any hopes for a Tennessee comeback were squashed when Emmanuel Sharp hit a couple of treys with a minute apart there at the end of the game. And Houston wins 69-50. They've got Duke in the Final Four.

On the women's side, Dawn Staley, South Carolina headed to their fifth straight Final Four. The defending champs down to the wire against Duke with a two-point lead.

[13:55:03]

And with less than 10 seconds to go, Duke's chances fall just short. So it's a 54 to 50 win for the Gamecocks. And South Carolinas resiliency just continues to shine. They are 20 and one in the last four NCAA tournaments.

Next stop, Final Four in Tampa. And the UCLA Bruins, this year's top overall seed, they are advancing to their first ever Final Four in school history. They beat the mighty LSU, the 2023 champs, 72 to 65.

There are two more women's games tonight to determine the other half of the Final Four.

Let's check up on those CNN anchor bracket challenges. How are we doing here, Jessica Dean stomping everybody with 106 points.

And as for this show, some bald dude named Coy has 96. Another, much more beautiful bald man, Boris Sanchez, has 87. Picking Florida and Duke in the final, but he has the Gators winning it all.

And then we have Ms. Brianna Keilar, 61, but she has Duke winning it all. So look out, Boris.

I think you all should have a little bet. If she beats you, she gets to draw a basketball on the back of your head and you have to turn around and start the show with a big basketball sitting atop your shoulders.

(LAUGHTER) SANCHEZ: Maybe not starting the show, but that does sound like a good bet. And if I win, what do we say?

KEILAR: Yes, what -- what --

SANCHEZ: A glizzy tower?

KEILAR: Oh, yes.

SANCHEZ: A tower of hot dogs, perhaps.

KEILAR: I will. I'm in. OK. Is it a wager? All right.

SANCHEZ: It's a wager. Let's do it.

Basketball head, glizzy tower. Coy. I love the idea.

(CROSSTALK)

WIRE: -- Chestnut. Look out!

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: Coy Wire, thank you so much. Always good to see you.

WIRE: You got it.

SANCHEZ: Minutes from now, our favorite not-stranded, not-stuck astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, hold their first press conference since returning home to earth. We're going to bring it to you live.

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