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Hamas Threatens To Postpone Hostage Release; Trump Imposes 25 Percent Tariffs On Steel And Aluminum Imports; China's Tariffs On Nearly $14B In U.S. Imports Take Effect; Trump Imposes 25% Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum Imports; Musk Leads Investor Group Bidding $97.4 Billion to Buy OpenAI; Political and Business Leaders Meet in Paris for AI Summit; Scientists Get Rare Sighting of Deep-sea Black Demon. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired February 11, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:31]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead. Donald Trump defies the critics again, imposing new tariffs on steel and aluminum aimed at China and making clear he's not done yet.

An already fragile ceasefire made even more tenuous. Hamas threatens to postpone the release of hostages while the U.S. President issues an ultimatum.

And the bitter rivalry between two tech Titans, Elon Musk's unsolicited bid for OpenAI is rejected while global leaders discuss the future of A.I. security.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. The U.S. president has fired another shot in the trade war he started this month. Donald Trump slapped 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. on Monday without any exceptions or exemptions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a big deal. It's a big deal. This is the beginning of making America rich again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The tariffs are aimed primarily, although indirectly, at China, even though the U.S. imports very little steel straight from China. But Beijing remains the world's largest steel producer, and its steel does make its way into the United States second hand. However, it's these countries that appear poised to take the biggest hit from the new U.S. tariffs. Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Vietnam. Canada sends the most tons of steel of any country to the U.S. The former Canadian Finance Minister who is running for prime minister says "We must do what we did the first time he tried retaliate, dollar for dollar." Chrystia Freeland added, I knew then, what I know now, by being strong, smart and united, we can win again.

And CNN's Steven Jiang is covering this live from Beijing. He joins us now. Good to see you, Steven. So what's been the reaction in China to President Trump's 25 percent steel tariffs? And of course, how might this impact the economy there?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Rosemary. So far, Chinese officials have sought -- have not said too much about these latest 25 percent tariffs. On Monday, a Chinese foreign ministry official did address this issue in general saying, "protectionism is a dead end and there are no winners in any trade wars." But of course, as you mentioned, this will likely cause pain for the Chinese steel sector because one of the long-standing complaints, not just from Washington actually from many other governments around the world, is that Chinese dealmakers have been flooding the global markets with cheap products, sometimes at below cost prices."

Now that's something of course, Beijing has long denied the so-called industrial overcapacity problem and they have pushed back very strongly. But timing wise, this is -- this is very interesting because just on Monday, the Chinese cabinet actually held a meeting and in the official readout, without mentioning the term industrial overcapacity, they said the government would "optimize industrial layout" and the market supervision, and also phase out outdated and inefficient product -- production in certain sectors.

So, it seems officials here are very much aware of this issue and trying to address it, just not mentioning that word overcapacity. But of course, it remains to be seen what kind of specific countermeasures, if any, they will launch on these latest tariffs because, as you know, they did launch counter tariffs on Trump's previously announced 10 percent additional tariffs on Chinese imports.

But it's still worth noting, though, so far, both sides seem to be fairly restrained in their measures and countermeasures. Remember, Trump promised repeatedly during the campaign to impose up to 60 percent tariffs on Chinese imports. Now that has now happened, and even with the counter tariffs Beijing announced and then that went into effect on Monday, this affected only less than nine percent of U.S. exports into China.

So, it's still fairly restrained and a lot of experts say that's because both sides still want to, at least at this juncture, trying to reach some sort of broader deal and especially from Beijing's perspective, they tried not to unnecessarily antagonize Trump at this juncture, having learned quite a bit from dealing with him during the first term, not to mention the U.S. president, of course, even more recently still said he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have this personal, have this great personal relationship.

[02:05:22]

So, I think Beijing officials are trying to use this to create its opening to reach a broader deal, especially as they continue to face a lot of economic headwinds at home as well. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Steven Jiang joining us from Beijing with that live report. Many thanks.

A U.S. District judge has again extended the deadline for federal workers to accept the Trump administration's so-called buyout offers or deferred resignations. Whether those offers illegal or not is still in question. CNN's Paula Reid has more.

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Federal employees did not get the clarity they were hoping for on this deferred resignation offer they received from the Trump administration. On Monday, a federal judge in Boston heard arguments from the Justice Department defending the administration and from lawyers representing unions about the validity of this so-called buyout offer.

Lawyers for the unions, they have been discouraging their members from accepting this offer, saying it's not clear that the Trump administration has the power to enforce this or make sure people get paid, and they were even noting to the judge. They said they've only been given two weeks' notice to make decisions that impact their livelihoods. They said this is not what Congress intended when it reformed the civil service.

They also told the judge that they believe the administration is trying to push out civil servants so that they can be replaced with Trump loyalists. Now the Justice Department defended its actions, saying that this was all part of the federal government's authority to manage its workforce and argue that the buyout program offers a humane off ramp to federal government employees who might have structured their life around remote work opportunities, which have, of course, come to an end.

The judge said that he would resume the sort of pause on the deadline to accept this while he contemplates this larger question about the validity of this offer. So, all eyes on that judge, a Clinton appointee up in Boston, as many federal employees are mulling possibly accepting this offer.

Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: And those buyouts are not the only action being challenged in court. In Massachusetts, a federal judge paused cuts Donald Trump had made defunding public health research for everything from curing cancer to addressing chronic health conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

In Rhode Island, another federal judge accused the Trump administration of disregarding a previous court order to unfreeze billions of dollars in federal aid, and that's just the latest. At least 10 judges have also stopped what President Trump is doing or trying to do in just the past three weeks, and Team Trump now making clear they're targeting the judges themselves.

Vice President J.D. Vance posting this, "Judges are not allowed to control the executive's legitimate power, implying that whatever the executive branch does is automatically legitimate.

Well, the fragile cease fire in Gaza appears to be on shaky grounds with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of breaking the terms of the deal. Hamas is threatening to postpone the hostage release scheduled for Saturday, accusing Israel of firing on displaced Palestinians returning to the north and not allowing all types of aid into the enclave.

Israel's defense minister says Hamas is in violation of the agreement and he's ordering troops to be ready for the possibility of new fighting in Gaza.

Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, protesters are accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging the deal. They're calling for all remaining hostages to be released. And amid all this tension, U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: As far as I'm concerned, if all of the hostages are returned by Saturday at 12:00, I think it's an appropriate time, I would say, cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Nada Bashir joins me now live from London. Good morning to you, Nada. So, what's the latest on this fragile ceasefire and the possible consequences ahead if it doesn't hold?

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER: Well, look, Rosemary. There is certainly concern following those remarks by Donald Trump yesterday, of course, but we have seen issues like this resolved in the past despite this being a deeply fragile agreement, as you mentioned. And, of course, while there is concern around the possible postponement of the release of hostages in exchange of Palestinian prisoners and scheduled to take place on Saturday.

[02:10:02]

What we do know, according to the information that has been released by Hamas officials, is that they are essentially framing this as a sort of warning. Hamas officials have said that that release could continue to take place on Saturday as scheduled, that they have issued this statement five days in advance of that scheduled release of hostages from the Gaza Strip. So, as to provide a warning for Israeli officials to networks uphold their end of the agreement.

Now, as you mentioned, they have highlighted several areas where they believe Israel has failed to abide by the terms of the ceasefire agreement from an earlier delay in allowing Palestinians to return to parts northern Gaza from, as you mentioned, civilians being fired out, according to Hamas, by Israeli forces, and, of course, delays or restrictions in humanitarian relief supplies getting into the Gaza Strip.

And we have heard from one diplomat who was told CNN that the U.N., Qatar and other nations had requested to be allowed to deliver humanitarian relief supplies, namely shelter for Palestinian civilians who have been displaced and that request was denied by Israeli authorities. Of course, we have reached out to the Israeli officials for response to that, but there is mounting concern around the amount of humanitarian relief supplies, particularly medical supplies and medicines getting into the Gaza Strip.

Then, of course, on the other side, as you mentioned, there has been outcry from Israeli officials. This warning of a possible postponement of the release of hostages has been described by Israeli officials as a complete violation by Hamas of the ceasefire agreement. Israel's defense minister instructing the Israeli military to be on the highest level of alert and readiness the IDF as well, instructing its forces to be on high alert for any possible scenarios moving forward in Gaza.

So, there is concern around the possible breakdown of this deal, around potentially the resumption of hostilities in the Gaza Strip. But again, this is not a guarantee yet of a full breakdown of that deal. We know there is mounting pressure, both regionally, internationally and of course, also within Israel. We have seen protests taking place in Tel Aviv, many family members of those that are still held captive in Gaza calling on the government to do all they can to ensure the safe return of all hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip.

There are many Palestinian families, of course, hoping that their loved ones will be released from Israeli jails as part of this cease fire agreement. So, there is certainly pressure on both sides for this cease fire agreement, not only to continue, but also for both sides to engage, or reengage in negotiations for a movement towards a second phase of that deal as well. At this stage, focus is certainly on maintaining this first phase, ensuring that this deal is upheld.

And we can expect to see more movement, certainly on the regional front and diplomatic front as well. As we know today, Jordan's King Abdullah is set to meet with the U.S. President Donald Trump. So, the situation in Gaza and indeed, the ceasefire agreement is certainly expected to be a key focus during those talks later today, as well. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Nada Bashir bringing us that live report from London. Many thanks.

Well, meantime, the United Nations Agency for Palestinian refugees is sounding the alarm in the West Bank. UNRWA says at least 40,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced as the Israeli military ramps up a large-scale military operation. Operation Iron Wall began in the Jenin refugee camp, but has since expanded to three more camps. The IDF says the operation aims to eliminate terrorists in the area.

Still to come, day two of a Paris summit on artificial intelligence is set to begin soon. I'll speak with an expert about what political leaders and top business minds hope to accomplish. Back with that and more in just a moment.

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[02:18:21]

CHURCH: The U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg is expected to visit Ukraine next week. A source in the Ukrainian government told CNN the trip is set for February 20th. That's after the Munich Security Conference this weekend where Kellogg says he plans to discuss with allies' peace plans for Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced he also plans to meet U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Conference.

But Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister says any peace negotiations with Ukraine must include Moscow's indisputable ownership of annexed Ukrainian regions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEI RYABKOV, RUSSIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MININSTER (through translator): Undoubtedly, Ukraine joining NATO is one of the root causes of the special military operation. In terms of Kursk, our president has said it all. This is an issue that is so obvious to everyone, even to those who live outside of Russia. I want to say that the certain cunning with which our western opponents, mainly the U.S. primarily, discuss these topics, is also quite understandable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: All this comes as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for a cease fire in the conflict. CNN's Fred Pleitgen takes a look at how Russians are reacting to this issue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Thank you, soldier, the song goes. The crowd chiming in at an event in support of Russian veterans and troops fighting in what Moscow still calls its special military operation in Ukraine. Valentin (ph) fought for the now defunct Wagner private military company and says he's not unhappy President Trump is in office and Biden is out.

[02:20:08]

I don't want to offend him, of course. but my personal opinion is that he was like an oddity in the country like the U.S. Trump is a commercial man. He's a businessman. He does everything for his own benefit.

Nina (ph) wears a team Putin t shirt, but also likes what she's hearing from the new U.S. President.

Of course, I like him, she says, you have to be tough and have discipline in everything so people can live well without wars. Do you think he can help resolve the conflict with Ukraine, I ask. It's long overdue, she says. He promised it and we're waiting for it. Hurry up. Don't waste time. People are dying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our grandfathers want to save the world.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Russian intelligence following up with a very open influence operation targeting Americans. This slick ad showcasing Soviet and U.S. troops defeating Nazi Germany together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't trust those who would divide us. Remember, we all fought together for the truth. Our grandfathers' flags matter.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Urging Americans not to support further military aid for Ukraine. At the end, the symbol of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR. All this says President Trump this weekend claimed he's already in talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to end the war.

TRUMP: And I want to stop it just because I hate to see all these young people being killed. The soldiers are being killed by the hundreds of thousands.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): While Russia says its forces are making steady progress on the battlefield in Ukraine, the costs are high. The Ukrainians publishing this video allegedly showing a Russian war plane crashing during battle in the same area.

The Russians won't confirm or deny whether President Trump and the Russian leader have already spoken directly and Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister making clear peace talks with Moscow will be tough when I asked him at a press event.

There is no hidden agenda or purpose in our position, he says. There is no element of grandstanding. Our position is derived from a full understanding of internally felt and deeply experienced tragedy and seriousness of what is happening to the national interests of our country.

Music to the ears of those attending the veterans event in Moscow vowing to fight on as long as the Kremlin says. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Ecuador's presidential election is heading to a runoff between the crime fighting incumbent and a leftist challenger. President Daniel Noboa will face Luisa Gonzalez in the second-round vote provisionally scheduled for April. Noboa leads the 16 other candidates in Sunday's election with just over 44 percent of the vote. He needed an outright majority to avoid a runoff.

Gonzalez who lost to Noboa in the 2023 snap election, came in second with nearly 44 percent of the vote. The election comes as Ecuador is grappling with an unprecedented security crisis fueled by the drug trade and a steep rise in murders. A horrifying bus crash has left at least 51 people dead in Guatemala. The bus fell off this highway bridge in Guatemala City on Monday and plunged 20 meters into a ravine. A fire department spokesman says some people have been trapped in the bus, which is partially submerged in a polluted river. Guatemala's president has declared three days of national mourning.

CNN NEWSROOM continues after short break.

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[02:28:16]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The biggest exporter of steel to the U.S., Canada says Donald Trump's new 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum are totally unjustified. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claims the White House is considering an exemption for Australian steel, even though Donald Trump made clear Monday, there would be no exceptions. He added, the tariffs are a big deal and would make America rich again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We don't want it to hurt other countries, but they have been taking advantage of us for years and years and years, and they've charged us tariffs. Most of them have charged us, almost everyone, I would say, almost without exception. They've charged us and we haven't charged them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Donald Trump is effectively reshaping global trade, and says his tariffs will even out the playing field, but in reality, his tariffs, especially on Canadian imports will see increased prices for a range of consumer products.

For more on the cost of tariffs, here's CNN's Paula Newton reporting from Ontario.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): It's on this factory floor in Canada that Donald Trump's demands for fair trade are being tested.

NEWTON (on camera): What are these over here?

ROB WILDEBOER, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN AND CO-FOUNDER, MARTINREA INTERNATIONAL INC.: For the Silverado.

NEWTON (voice-over): These are parts for the Silverado. A G.M. truck made in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico and they're made by Martinrea.

WILDEBOER: These are thousand times stamping presses.

NEWTON (voice-over): Global auto parts supplier with thousands of workers in all three countries. Trump tariffs would strike at the very heart of this business and its workers in North America, says executive chairman Rob Wildeboer.

[02:30:06]

NEWTON (on camera): President Trump would say, why Mexico? Why Canada? Why can't you just make it all in the U.S.?

ROB WILDEBOER, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, MARTINREA: I don't know anyone in our company that wants tariffs between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, because we work very well as a unit. We take care of our people everywhere. We make great parts in every jurisdiction, and quite frankly, we benefit from that. We've got some great plants in Mexico, in the United States and Canada.

NEWTON: Do you believe a U.S. made car then would be more expensive?

WILDEBOER: Yes, for sure. For sure.

NEWTON (voice-over): That's the math, he says, a calculation made every day here as the threat of tariffs hang over one of the most prized manufacturing industries on the continent. Canada's auto industry directly employs at least 130,000 people in dozens of towns and cities, including Martinrea's facility in Vaughan, Ontario, just outside of Toronto. They depend on these stable jobs, as do workers at this Martinrea facility in the U.S. State of Kentucky.

WILDEBOER: I'll put my U.S. hat on, right? Because we are an American supplier, we're a Canadian supplier, we're a Mexican supplier, but we have twice as many people in the United States as we do in Canada. And in a number of communities, we're the largest employer, so Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Jonesville, Michigan, and others. We're a big -- we're a big deal. We're a big deal locally. We take care of a lot of people, and I would say a lot of those people probably voted for President Trump. They liked his message of lower inflation, more jobs, stronger economy, but with the tariffs and so forth, they're getting higher inflation, less jobs, weaker economy.

NEWTON (voice-over): Despite that pitch, even employees here know what they're up against in the Oval Office, and some told us they approve of Canada standing up to the threat.

NATIK JARIWALLA, MARTINREA EMPLOYEE: It's going to hurt anyhow. It's like either you deal it right now or in future.

NEWTON (voice-over): And it's not just Canada. Trump is challenging the very template of free trade right around the world. The European Union can see what's coming their way. It is one of the largest trade deficits with the U.S. It too says it will respond firmly to any tariffs. But it is Trump's tough Talk about an economic takeover of Canada that cannot be reconciled.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: What I'd like to see, Canada become our 51st state.

NEWTON (voice-over): It has triggered an uncommon anti-American backlash in Canada that may have legs. Booing the U.S. Anthem, boycotting American products, all of it so far seems to have staying power.

DON PEPPER, BURLINGTON, ONTARIO RESIDENT: Well, I think it's ridiculous. We've been friends for years, traded for years, and then, all of a sudden this happens.

NEWTON (voice-over): For Martinrea's executives and its North American workers, tariffs could still be a reality within weeks, putting at risk a profitable business and good paying jobs in the U.S. and beyond. They're asking President Trump, why mess with that?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Elon Musk is attempting to put himself at the forefront of artificial intelligence. The Tesla and SpaceX Founder is leading a group of investors who've offered to buy the parent company of ChatGPT for nearly $100 billion. Musk is no stranger to Sam Altman's OpenAI which owns the popular machine learning software. He co-found the company back in 2015 and left over disagreements on a shift from non-profit to for-profit work. Altman posted on X, owned by Musk, "No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want."

Well, the future of AI security is high on the agenda at the second day of the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris. Political and business leaders will soon meet to continue talks on how to create effective guardrails for AI without stifling innovation. J.D. Vance is attending the summit on his first international trip as U.S. vice president. He's said to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the summit. Mr. Macron has been vocal about Europe's need to accelerate its pace in the AI race as well as rely on clean power to do so.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: I have a good friend in the other part of the ocean saying, drill, baby drill. Here, there is no need to drill. It's just plug, baby plug. Electricity is available. You can plug; it's ready. It's a wake-up call for a European strategy. But this strategy will be a unique opportunity for Europe to accelerate, to simplify our regulations, to deepen the single markets and to invest as well in computing capacities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:35:00]

CHURCH: Just ahead on "CNN Newsroom," a deep sea creature makes a rare visit to shallow water. Just ahead, why scientists think this black demon was swimming near the ocean's surface. We'll take a look.

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CHURCH: It's possibly a scientific first and some might hope it's the last. Researchers in the Canary Islands have captured what they say are the first images of an adult Black seadevil Anglerfish near the ocean surface, also known as a Black Demon.

[02:40:00]

The intimidating fish is usually found hundreds of meters below the surface where light isn't visible. Scientists who spotted the Black Demon posted images on Instagram saying they didn't know why it was in such shallow waters, possibly due to illness and upstream or fleeing a predator.

I want to thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is coming up next. Then I'll be back in about 15 minutes with more "CNN newsroom." Do stick around.

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[02:45:00]

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