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Demonstrations against Elon Musk Held at Telsa Dealerships around U.S.; Large Earthquake Devastates Parts of Southeast Asia; Danish Foreign Minister Criticizes U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance for Comments on Government of Denmark Not Protecting Citizens of Greenland; President Trump Signs Executive Order Potentially Cutting Funding to Institutions like Smithsonian for Divisiveness; Republican Congresswoman Victoria Spartz Faces Raucous Town Hall; Palestinian Protesters in Gaza Demand End to War with Israel and for Hamas to Step Aside; Woman Charged with Locking Up and Starving Stepson for 20 Years; National Park Service Working to Protect Cherry Blossoms in Washington D.C. from Rising Sea Levels. Aired 2-3p ET.

Aired March 29, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: -- demonstrations across the country. This is the scene in Brooklyn, New York, where protestors gathered to send a message to Elon Musk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: One, two three, four, let's push Elon out the door. One, two three, four --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: While in Washington, D.C., drivers honking horns in support of a protest against Musk's role in cutting the federal government.

Let's get right to CNN's Marybel Gonzalez who is in Burbank, California, for us. So Marybel, is there any action there?

MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, not yet, but we do expect that to change in just a few hours. And despite many Tesla dealerships and facilities like this one, knowing that there are going to be some protests possibly outside of their locations, we haven't seen any added security either. So things are relatively calm and business as usual here.

But we know that today we're expecting more protests here in the Los Angeles area as part of what they're now calling a global Tesla takedown movement. And protests happening in Germany, some of the first that we've seen for this activism, this cause outside of the U.S.

Now, right now, we do know that there are protests underway in cities like D.C., New York, and even Decatur, Georgia. Those happening right now. Now, protesters are asking Tesla owners to sell their vehicles, to

ditch their Tesla stocks to send a message to Elon Musk. And this following several of his federal cuts, or his downsizing of federal agencies and their employees.

Now, these protests have been growing in numbers across the country. We know that there are about 28 local organizers across several states, several states in the country. And we know that here in Los Angeles, in nearby Pasadena, there's been a list of about 100 protesters that have signed up and are ready to protest outside of a Tesla facility there.

And by and large, Fredricka, these protests have been peaceful. In fact, the organizers are asking people to remain calm, to just be picketing outside with their signs and their chants. But we know that this has not been the case for other incidents, anti-Tesla and anti- Musk incidents throughout the country, starting as far back as January.

We do know also that there's been a man, a 36-year-old man, Paul Kim, who is now facing state and federal charges for allegedly setting several Tesla vehicles on fire at a dealership in Las Vegas. He's facing arson and unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm after an AR style rifle was found at the scene.

So as far as we know, these protests here in Los Angeles, people are asking them to be peaceful and we are not expecting them to get out of hand, but we will be following those closely and attending some of those to talk to people about what they're asking of the government and of Elon Musk himself.

WHITFIELD: All right, Marybel Gonzalez, thanks so much.

All right, we're also following breaking news out of southeast Asia, where a violent earthquake caused catastrophic damage on Friday. In Myanmar, the epicenter of the quake, authorities say at least 1,600 people are now dead, with thousands more injured, and many more still missing at this hour.

Here with us now is the regional emergency advisor for UNICEF's East Asia and Pacific regional office, Trevor Clark. Trevor, glad you can be with us there from Bangkok. Can you share any updates on your organization's humanitarian efforts in Myanmar?

TREVOR CLARK, REGIONAL EMERGENCY ADVISER, UNICEF EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC REGIONAL OFFICE: Yes, thanks for having me on. I think that were all deeply concerned with what's happening in Myanmar right now. We continue to assess the current direct impact of the massive earthquake. I do want to draw you back a little bit, though, if I can, just to underscore that this is just another devastating emergency for a country that's been impacting children for several years now. There's a violent conflict there, previous natural disasters. And this is just one more earthquake emergency that's compounding the challenges and the pain that children have had to endure in Myanmar over the last few years. UNICEF is on the ground with partners. We are assessing the situation.

You can imagine, though, that with communication lines down, and public infrastructure devastated, getting information on the accuracy and verifying data is still going to take a few more days. What I can say, though, is that UNICEF is -- will have, we have trucks on the road right now that will be starting distribution tomorrow morning.

WHITFIELD: Yes. You underscore that the civil war has been going on since 2021, so there's already been unrest, turmoil there, and now compounded by this earthquake. So I wonder, you mentioned the communication is obviously impaired.

[14:05:02]

But in what other ways has the civil war perhaps stood in the way of any emergency efforts right now from your organization or others?

CLARK: So obviously the conflict is a is a is another one of those devastating dynamics for children. What it means for us, and to be very clear, we put children as UNICEF at the center of everything that we do. So we will work with every actor we need to work with in order to get the resources and the support to children on the ground. So yes, it's going to be difficult. We'll coordinate with all the actors that are necessary, and there will be a number of actors that we have to coordinate with as well on several sides. But we'll make sure that we do get the resources to children that need those resources.

WHITFIELD: The U.S. Geological Survey is estimating the death toll could rise to around 10,000 people, which could obviously leave a lot of children orphaned as well. What potentially would happen to them? What kind of position are you all in to assist?

CLARK: So obviously that's a significant concern. And indeed, our biggest worries and heartache is that these numbers will go up. I mean, it's not a question if. It's a question that they will go -- it's not a question that they will go up. So when we get to the point where we have more numbers on the number of children impacted, that allows us to, with better clarity, put in place such things as referral systems and care and attention systems using our very strong sort of child protection approach within UNICEF as well. We'll look at the services that that other partners that we can work with as well. But we will also step in should we need to do that as well.

WHITFIELD: So it's not just the physical loss, the psychological trauma on children when disasters like this strike. What do you anticipate here?

CLARK: I'm really glad that you highlighted that. We can get a lot of the physical resources and basic needs met of children. But one of the enduring challenges is going to be the trauma that these children face. Again, several years already of crises in the country, this is one more thing. Unless we address that as a humanitarian sector, as people, that's going to be such an enduring challenge for children. So we will get the physical supplies in there, we'll get the basic needs met with tents, tarpaulins, mats, et cetera, et cetera. But we'll need to make sure that we do get a sense of normalcy and safety for children also on the ground. That includes setting up child friendly spaces, setting up sort of temporary learning locations, because keep in mind, with such a devastating impact, the infrastructure is going to be devastated. So health care centers, and we know that one hospital has already been -- has already collapsed. And so you can just imagine that more is happening on that front as well. Schools will have collapsed as well.

So getting a semblance of that back to, to a certain level that we can start delivering these services to children and then allowing these spaces for children to go to feel that are safe and secure and that sense of normalcy will be absolutely critical. Thanks for highlighting that.

WHITFIELD: All right, Trevor Clark of UNICEF, thank you so much, and all the best in your continued efforts there in the region.

CLARK: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: The Danish foreign minister is scolding the Trump administration for its tone after Vice President J.D. Vance criticized Denmark during a visit to U.S. troops on a remote Greenland military base on Friday. Vance's trip comes as the Trump administration pushes to gain control of the Danish territory. While talking to the troops, Vance accused Denmark of neglecting Greenland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENT: Denmark has not kept pace in devoting the resources necessary to keep this base, to keep our troops, and, in my view, to keep the people of Greenland safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Those comments did not go over well with Denmark's leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARS LOKKE RASMUSSEN, DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER: But let me be completely honest. We do not appreciate the tone in which it's being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies, and I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: For more on this, let's go now to Betsy Klein in West Palm Beach, Florida, near Trumps Mar-a-Lago home where he's spending the weekend. Betsy, what are you hearing?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Yes, well, President Trump has expressed interest in acquiring Greenland since his first term. And in his second term, we heard him express interest in taking control of Gaza, the Panama Canal, even Canada. But this really marks a significant show of force from Vice President J.D. Vance, who was joined by his wife Usha, along with the National Security Advisor Mike Watlz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Friday, visiting a U.S. military Space Force base where President Trump has said that he is going to acquire Greenland, quote, one way or another.

[14:10:13]

But Vice President Vance on Friday really making the case that it is a matter of safety. He said that Denmark has not done a good job by the people of Greenland, and that the U.S. is better equipped to ward off threats from Russia and China. Even as were hearing from the Danish foreign minister saying that he doesn't appreciate the tone that Vance and the U.S. administration are taking, he still considers the U.S. a close ally.

And Vance also said that the people of Greenland will still have self- determination. He says he hopes they choose to partner with the U.S. President Trump, for his part, has said that he will not say one way or the other whether the U.S. plans to take control of Greenland by force.

Now, I also want to talk to you, Fredricka, about how this whole trip came together. It was initiated as a cultural visit by the second lady, Usha Vance, who was planning to bring her son for a cultural exchange, as well as attend the nation's dog sledding race. Of course, there was so much pushback, both from the people of Greenland as well as its outgoing prime minister, who characterized the visit as highly aggressive. The vice president saying that he also wanted to come along for the trip, and instead of meeting with locals, the trip was moved to that Space Force base about 1,000 miles north of Greenland's capital where they did not interact with any Greenland natives. They just spoke with U.S. servicemembers, receiving a very warm reception there, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Betsy Klein, thank you so much.

All right, and now President Trump is going after one of the country's leading museums. Why? He wants to eliminate, quote, "improper ideology" inside the Smithsonian.

And fiery moments in a town hall with Republican Congresswoman Victoria Spartz of Indiana. Why she faced boos from a frustrated crowd.

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[14:16:51]

WHITFIELD: President Trump is taking aim at the Smithsonian Institution. He claims it has been funding programs with, quote, "improper ideology." The president's new executive order puts Vice President Vance in charge of cutting the funding of divisive exhibits from the institution. This includes the museums, research centers, even the National Zoo. Vance already serves on the Smithsonian's board of regents.

CNN's Brian Todd joins me now from outside the National Museum of African American history and culture. Brian, big turnout. It's a beautiful day. Its cherry blossom season. And something tells me none of the folks that you've approached are really holding back. BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Fredricka. Now, a lot of them

are actually trying to get their minds around what this executive order from the president really means. How is it going to affect the museums, the memorials, the exhibits in these museums that so many of these people love to go to? That's kind of unclear. We have to see how this plays out regarding the funding of some of these exhibits.

But the gist of it is what you said. The president is now taking aim at the Smithsonian Institution. Thats 21 museums and the National Zoo. The president said in his executive order that the institution has, quote, "come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology in recent years." And he specifically is pointing to this institution. This is the National Museum of African American History and Culture. You mentioned it in your intro. It's not just this museum, but it's this and a couple of others that I'll mention in a moment.

What the president said in his executive order about this museum was that it is, quote, "proclaimed that hard work, individualism, and the nuclear family are aspects of white culture." That was what he said in his executive order. Now that reference appears to be referencing what was a resource in this museum a few years ago to discuss race. That was a resource that was here that was removed by this museum, and the museum apologized for that resource and for that reference to white culture and nuclear families and things like that.

But it is things like that that the president does not want to spend government money on anymore. And we did talk to a lot of people here. Here's a clip coming up of one man who is against what the president is doing, and a lady who was in favor of what he's doing. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would disagree with the administration's view that there's ideological division promoted by knowing the full truth of our history. And the African American Museum and it's heritage is the heritage and the problems of we, the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In reality, it doesn't include all of everybody. All lives matter, in my opinion. So that's a way of just dividing into little pockets against each other. And no, I don't think we should pay for any of those exhibits. As a taxpayer, I don't agree with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: So the president is not just taking issue with this museum. As we mentioned, he's targeting other museums within the Smithsonian Institution. And it's not just on issues of race. It's also on gender issues. In his executive order, the president said that the American Women's History Museum, they want to make sure that that museum does not recognize men as women in any respect.

[14:20:07]

Thats a reference to, of course, transgender issues, the discussion of transgender athletes. And what's notable there is that that museum, the American Women's History Museum, has not even been built yet. It's planned. It's not even going to come into existence for several years. But again, the president really wants to make sure that transgender issues and men being referenced as women are not discussed at all in that museum.

And in addition, Fredricka, they want to look at whether some memorials after the year 2020, the year of the George Floyd protests, whether some memorials might have not been improperly removed, and/or, basically removed without what the president believes is the right historical context. And, of course, we're referring to those some of those Confederate memorials that were removed around the country following the George Floyd protests. They want to look at that and study whether some of those -- whether it was really appropriate to remove some of those memorials. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Brian Todd, thanks so much.

All right, another Republican town hall turned raucous, this one unfolded in Indiana last night. Republican Congresswoman Victoria Spartz facing boos and jeers when she was asked what her response is to the Trump administration's leaked group chat involving military strikes in Yemen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, my name is Stephanie. I'm from Carmel. And I just wanted to see what your plan is to address the issue with the administration talking about classified military operations on signal.

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And will you demand the immediate resignation of Pete Hegseth?

(CHEERING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- demand the immediate resignation of Pete Hegseth, Mike Waltz, and the rest of the group chat?

(CHEERING)

REP. VICTORIA SPARTZ, (R-IN): So let me just address. No, I will not demand their resignation.

(BOOS)

SPARTZ: And actually, you should close all of the -- all of the resignations are proposed to the Senate anyway. So you should talk to your senators. Hopefully they'll have come home, both senators --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, I'm joined now by Tia Mitchell, the Washington bureau chief for "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution." Tia, great to see you.

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION": Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: All right, So these town halls in the last few weeks have already been very fiery. Do you think now, this signal-gate kind of intensified the atmosphere?

MITCHELL: Well, I think signal gate just gives those Democrats who are really fired up Just one more example of what they believe is current administration, the Trump administration, not serving the people, not making good choices, not focusing on the things that people care the most about. So it's just become a kind of example for them, Another thing for them to rally around in criticism of administration.

WHITFIELD: This week, President Trump unexpectedly pulled the nomination of Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to be U.S. ambassador to the U.N. over concerns of the GOP's narrow margin in the House. The White House is worried about two congressional races next week in Florida, which Democrats are pouring a lot of money and resources into. Trump carried those districts by wide margins in 2024. If these races end up being competitive, how will that be viewed by the two parties?

MITCHELL: Yes, I think at the end of the day, they are pretty Republican districts. And yes, the Democratic challengers are giving them a run for it. But it's expected that these Republicans will squeak by. But the fact that Democrats, they can raise money in Republican districts, they can force Republicans as if it's a toss-up seat, is, again, another point of concern for Republicans when it comes to enthusiasm, when it comes to the competitive races that they know are coming in 2026 that will determine the balance in Congress.

[10:25:08]

So in a lot of ways, it's not just these seats that have Republicans, it's that these seats could be part of a trend of, again, enthusiasm among Democrats and independents, a little bit of lack of enthusiasm, Republicans just aren't showing up for these members of Congress when they hold these town halls. Thats what they're concerned about.

WHITFIELD: All right, and then there's the campaign spending for high stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race. It's also smashing spending records. Trump adviser Elon Musk will travel to Wisconsin for an event tomorrow, naming the winners of million-dollar giveaways orchestrated by his super PAC. So what's at stake for Trump and Musk in this race?

MITCHELL: Yes, this is another one. Now this Wisconsin Supreme Court race is a true toss up where either candidate, the one aligned with Democrats or the one with Republicans, has a real chance of winning. So again, parties want to win to be able to say, hey, the people are with us. Democrats want to be able to say that. Republicans want to say, hey, even though that you guys are criticizing us, this is proof people are still willing to go with us.

And again, it's about the money. Also, quite frankly, there is power in the Supreme Court seat, and both political parties want to align with their ideology in these roles. But again, it's also more than that. It's about enthusiasm. It's about what races like this can teach us as to where voters are right now, where they could go, again, in the coming months, thinking about 2026.

WHITFIELD: All right, Tia Mitchell, we'll leave it there for now. Thanks so much.

MITCHELL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, a rare sight this week in Gaza, public protests against Hamas. We'll have details on the growing anger there.

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[14:31:38]

WHITFIELD: All right, we've got this breaking news. A Hamas source tells CNN that the group has agreed to a new cease fire proposal brokered by Egypt. The proposal would include releasing five hostages, including the American Israeli Edan Alexander, in exchange for a renewed ceasefire. It isn't clear whether it also includes the release of additional bodies of deceased hostages. This is similar to a proposal by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff several weeks ago. Israel says it sent a counterproposal to negotiators.

Even as Hamas tries to negotiate a ceasefire, it is facing growing protests by Palestinians inside. There was a rare sight in Gaza earlier this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: In a show of defiance against the militant group that rules an enclave right now in ruins, protesters were demanding an end to the war with Israel and for Hamas to step aside. Let's go get more now from Omar Baddar. He is a member of the National Policy Council at the Arab American Institute. Great to see you. So do you think these protests are influential? Might it threaten the power of Hamas?

OMAR BADDAR, MEMBER, NATIONAL POLICY COUNCIL, ARAB AMERICAN INSTITUTE: Yes. I don't think these are negligible protests, but I think to understand them, you really have to understand something about Israel's military strategy, best expressed by Giora Eiland, who is the former head of Israel's national security council, who basically said that part of the military doctrine is inflicting enough damage to the infrastructure to cause suffering among the civilian population as a means of putting pressure on groups like Hamas and Hezbollah to get them to basically understand that the path of confrontation with Israel is very costly.

And in the case of Gaza, they have really taken this to an unprecedented level. If you look at the reports coming out of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International and other major human rights organizations, they describe acts of extermination. They describe Israel's attacks as genocidal, which basically says that they have destroyed enough hospitals, killed enough journalists, killed enough medics, and literally 15,000 to 20,000 children, and used starvation as a weapon of war, creating a sense of desperation among the Palestinian population, which is expressed in people turning out and saying, we don't want to see our children being killed anymore. Whatever it takes, they want Hamas to basically give in to whatever Israel's demands are for the sake of getting an end to this conflict.

The problem, of course, is that this is a double-edged strategy on Israel's part. On the one hand, you produce that kind of reaction with that level of barbarity that they have imposed on Gaza. But you also produce a lot of people who want vengeance, which is why Hamas has also been able to recruit a lot of fighters during this period. And that is what we're witnessing unfolding right now.

WHITFIELD: So among those Palestinians who are bold enough, we should say, bold enough to be protesting or speaking out right now in Gaza, why do you think they feel bold enough to do it now?

BADDAR: Yes, I really think that we've reached a level where what is there left to be afraid of, left afraid of? I mean, Hamas did have a degree of unpopularity before all of this unfolded a couple of years ago in latest opinion polls. But at this point, people, you know, there's opposition and there is support. And like any society, there's going to be a divide. But the level of desperation that Israel has pushed Gaza to, people feel like there's nothing left for them to basically hold back for.

[14:35:02]

Just we've created an absolutely dire, horrific, unimaginable situation in Gaza that I think people are just, it's perfectly understandable. I mean, just if you look at pictures of what Gaza looks like, it is understandable why nobody wants to have their children live through that. And what's horrific, Fredricka, is that we've, you know, the policy of punishing civilians to produce political change is literally the dictionary definition of terrorism. And we've had a policy where we've enabled Israeli terrorism to reach that level. And that is precisely what we're seeing, these kinds of scenes. It is kind of sad to say that Israeli terrorism works in this case, that it's been carried out at a scale that has produced these results.

But I don't think that it's enough quite to change Hamas's calculus, because from Hamas's perspective, to give in at this point, to basically have allowed Gaza to be completely destroyed, and then to surrender on top of it at this point means the complete and total defeat of everything that they've ever stood for. And I think that they're still insistent on this idea that if you're going to sacrifice this much, there better be something to show for it. And I think that they're going to continue insisting on a path of confrontation moving forward.

WHITFIELD: What kind of support is the Palestinian Authority getting right now from inside Gaza and/or Mahmoud Abbas? BADDAR: Yes, the reality is that neither the Palestinian Authority

nor Hamas are particularly popular with the Palestinian people right now. And it's a condition under Israeli occupation in which there isn't really an alternative to these groups that end up dominating Palestinian politics. It's a situation in which, before all of this unfolded, Gaza was under siege, where it's not easy to conduct opinion polls. It's not easy to present political alternatives. And the Israeli policy was one of propping up Hamas in Gaza as a means of dividing Palestinians and making the prospect of Palestinian statehood even less likely.

In order to really get a serious alternative, you would need some breathing room for Palestinian society that we have not seen yet. And if there was an end to Israel's occupation in the Palestinian territories, if there was room for Palestinian politics to really thrive or for Palestinians to express their self-determination in any meaningful sense, I think that you would see that an alternative to both the Palestinian Authority and to Hamas would emerge that really fights for the basic values of freedom, dignity, and prosperity that neither of these groups really represent very well at this point.

WHITFIELD: Omar Badder, very fascinating. Thank you so much for being with us.

BADDAR: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, back in this country, a Connecticut woman accused of keeping her 32-year-old stepson locked away for 20 years, makes a court appearance. Wait until you hear what the alleged victim in this case is asking the judge.

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[14:42:18]

WHITFIELD: All right, the FAA is investigating a close call between a Delta Airlines flight and a U.S. Air Force jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Delta flight 2983 was taking off for Minneapolis yesterday when the military jet flying over 350 miles per hour passed nearby. That proximity triggered a collision warning alarm in the cockpit. The Delta pilot confirmed with air traffic control that another aircraft was just 500 feet below.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On that departure, we had a momentary TCAS RA. Was there an actual aircraft about 500 feet below us as we came off of DCA?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Delta 2983, affirmative.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The Air Force jet took off and landed at Langley Air Force base in Virginia. CNN has asked the air force for comment. The close call was near the spot where an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided, killing 67 people in January.

A Connecticut woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of assault, kidnaping, and cruelty after she was accused of holding captive and starving her stepson for more than 20 years. The 32-year-old man told authorities that he intentionally set fire to the house in a desperate bid for freedom. The harrowing details are outlined in an arrest warrant, describing the confinement that he says began when he was just 11 years old. CNN's Brynn Gingras has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kimberly Sullivan, the woman who allegedly kept her stepson locked up for two decades in their home pleading not guilty to the accusations against her, charges, the judge called.

JUDGE JOSEPH SCHWARTZ, SUPERIOR COURT: -- arguably the most troubling that I've seen during my tenure as a judge, and show really an unthinkable amount of lack of empathy.

GINGRAS: In a Connecticut courtroom, prosecutors argued that the now 32-year-old alleged victim in this case is asking them --

DON THERKILDSEN, SUPERVISORY ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: Why is she out walking around when I was locked up in a room for 20 years?

GINGRAS: The judge ordering Sullivan to wear a GPS monitoring, adding another condition to her bail. She's been out of jail on $300,000 bond since her mid-March arrest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My stepson is in here.

GINGRAS: Body camera footage shows officials responding to a fire the alleged victim admits setting with hand sanitizer, printer paper, and a lighter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One victim right here.

GINGRAS: Police say they found him weighing just under 70 pounds at five foot nine inches tall. He had rotten teeth and matted hair. He told police he set the fire because he, quote, wanted his freedom.

CHIEF FERNANDO SPAGNOLO, WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT POLICE: They began to speak to the male victim who disclosed that he was being held captive in the house for an extended period of time.

[14:45:07]

GINGRAS: The victim told police when his stepmother would leave the house, his father would sometimes let him out of the room. They'd watch TV together. They'd do some yard work outside. But his father died last year, and that's when the victim says the abuse got worse and he'd be locked in that room anywhere from 22 to 24 hours a day. The 11-page affidavit details years of alleged abuse, including locks

and plywood found on the door outside of the victims room. He allegedly was fed two sandwiches and water a day, had no use of a bathroom, and kept track of time with a radio.

IOANNIS KALOIDIS, ATTORNEY FOR KIMBERLY SULLIVAN: There's been a rush to judgment, OK. The blinders have been on from the first second.

GINGRAS: I mean, can you blame anybody? It's a long affidavit with a lot of information.

KALOIDIS: Well, it's a lot of allegations, but I haven't seen anything that independently verifies his claims.

GINGRAS: So you're saying it's really his word versus her word.

KALOIDIS: Absolutely. As horrible as the allegations are, and as much as people don't want to hear it, she is not guilty in the eyes of the law. And that's not going to change any time soon.

GINGRAS: Prosecutors say more witnesses have come forward, like Sullivan's friend who allegedly didn't even know she had a stepson. Sullivan is expected back in court next month.

Brynn Gingras CNN, Waterbury, Connecticut.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: And happening right now, protesters gathering outside Tesla dealerships all across the nation. Tesla takedowns are aimed at its CEO, Elon Musk. You're looking at pictures right now out of Tucson, Arizona, and you can see folks lined up on both sides of the street. And there you see the showroom of Tesla right there. More right after this.

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[14:51:34]

WHITFIELD: The cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C., are in peak bloom right now. And while locals and tourists celebrate this spring festival, the National Park Service is working to protect these trees from rising sea levels.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDY WERNERT: But this will be our first time walking through them and under them and smelling the blossoms, as well as looking at them.

MIKE LITTERST, CHIEF OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR NATIONAL MALL AND MEMORIAL PARKS: We are on the south side of the tidal basin, which has become home to not only iconic monuments, but more than 2,500 Japanese flowering cherry trees. The seawalls were originally constructed in the 1880s. Some additional areas were built in the 1930s and 1940s, and quite frankly, they've been failing for decades. We have seen sea level rises combined with settling in the seawalls now putting water six feet higher than the walls were built to keep it out.

We are in the process of rebuilding the seawalls on the south side of the tidal basin. Now, one of the interesting things that they've done is they salvaged some of the original stones that they took out from the old seawall, and they've included it in the new wall. So anywhere on the new seawall where you see stones that are a different color, those are historic stone from the 1880s up to the 1930s that were used in the original construction. It's a $113 million contract funded by the Great American Outdoors Act. Construction began in earnest in August of 2024, and we look forward to being finished no later than spring of 2026.

We remind everybody to pack their patience. We're going to see a million-and-a-half people here over the next four weeks, most of that concentrated during peak bloom.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

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[14:58:01]

WHITFIELD: All right, tomorrow on CNN, the final episode of "Twitter, Breaking the Bird," follows Jack Dorsey's return to Twitter as CEO. Dorsey's new reign was anything but traditional, sometime leading an entire company in 15 minutes silent meditations. Under his leadership, the app also saw years of unprecedented growth that then came to a halt. Jack looked for guidance from other tech leaders like Elon Musk, which foreshadowed the sale of the app in 2022.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EV WILLIAMS, CO-FOUNDER, TWITTER: I was part of the board when we made him CEO again. I was on the CEO search committee, which was ironic being part of the board that fired me as CEO. It felt like that was the right thing to do at the time.

(APPLAUSE)

DEL HARVEY, VP OF TRUST AND SAFETY, TWITTER, 2008-2021: Finally, we're back to this founder-led company. All the people who are like big Apple fans, you know, are like, yes, founder-ed company. And Jack is going to be the person who takes us to these new heights.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There he is, he's walking in the door. He's right there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.

KATIE BOORD, HEAD OF STRATEGY, TWITTER, 2015-2022: I think there was a great deal of respect for Jack across the employee base. He thinks about things deeply on a Steve Jobs level. So there were some real changes that were palpable to the employees. Really, he was going to be one of us. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As you all know, Twitter can't include it on our platform and inside this company.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, the final episode of "Twitter, Breaking the Bird," new episodes air tomorrow night at 10:00 eastern and pacific only on CNN.

The next hour starts right now.

All right, hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, protests are breaking out in cities around the world today over Tesla motors and the moves of Elon Musk --