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The Situation Room

Cherry Blossoms Bloom; Final Four Teams Set; Trump Administration Continues Arresting College Students; Mexican President Meets With Kristi Noem; Aluminum Tariffs Hit North Carolina. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired March 31, 2025 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW FUREY, PREMIER OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR: Canada is plentiful and bountiful and natural resources that can provide the United States manufacturing jobs, that can grow their economy.

It can grow our economy jointly together. That's why it's worked so well for so long. So -- but make no mistake, we will be proportional and we will be responsible, and we will be Canadian in our response.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: That was Andrew Furey, the premier of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The tariffs -- Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: All right, Wolf, the tariffs on imported aluminum are an added headache for small breweries in Western North Carolina still dealing with the impact of Hurricane Helene.

CNN's 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, HI-WIRE BREWING: All this was destroyed in the hurricane.

GALLAGHER: Hi-Wire Brewing's distribution warehouse fully underwater after Hurricane Helene.

CHARNACK: One-point-three million unfilled raw cans waiting to be filled with beer, almost 200,000 filled cans, and all that was destroyed.

GALLAGHER: Co-founder Adam Charnack says they've improvised and spent a lot of money to get Hi-Wire brewing again. CHARNACK: Oh, yes.

GALLAGHER (on camera): 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: 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: Economists warn, it's not that simple.

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

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

The cans are manufactured in the United States. I can't control where they get their aluminum from. Our can prices went up immediately 5 percent, and they'll probably go up again.

There's 24 cans in a case, so, you know, you already have a quarter a case right there. So those things really add up. And when you're selling -- you know, it's a volume game. You know, we don't sell 100 cases a day or a week. We're selling thousands and thousands. We're meeting that cost.

GALLAGHER (on camera): And the only alternative to recoup that right now would be to charge more?

CHARNACK: I can't do that.

AARON WILSON, HEAD BREWER, FRENCH BROAD BREWERY: One of the most active beer cities in the country.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): The extra costs are especially hard to swallow here in Asheville, home to more than 50 breweries that account for more than 2,500 jobs, with nearly $1 billion in local economic impact, according to the Asheville Chamber of Commerce. After months of loss, the beer industry, like the city, is still getting back on its feet.

WILSON: Six months to the day we finally got a beer in the tank.

GALLAGHER: The French Broad River brewery is still recovering from Helene. Owner Paul Casey says tariffs could make some of these small businesses pivot.

(on camera): Is there sort of a breaking point?

PAUL CASEY, OWNER, FRENCH BROAD BREWERY: I think it will change some people's or some companies or breweries' business plan. So, instead of packaging their beers up and sending them out into the market, they may focus more on their taprooms. It's a lot lower cost.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Brewers also worry about tariff proposals on the horizon.

CASEY: A lot of our grain and malts are sourced from overseas, from Germany and the U.K. And that will impact a lot of breweries across the board.

CHARNACK: Now, a lot of our ingredients are just globally sourced.

GALLAGHER (on camera): Is it sustainable?

CHARNACK: Right now, I can tell you, you know, our costs have gone up in our cans. There's nothing I can do about it. Our margins are pretty thin as it is. So it's making it harder in an already difficult situation to be a successful small business.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Dianne Gallagher, CNN, Asheville, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Also new this morning, Mexico's president is reacting to her critical meeting Friday with the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem.

Claudia Sheinbaum said, Mexico is always prepared to work with the United States.

CNN correspondent Gustavo Valdes is joining us right now.

Gustavo, take us through what Sheinbaum actually had to say.

GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This morning, Wolf, she had her morning press conference and she barely mentioned the visit. The visit happened over the weekend.

It was a very cordial meeting between the secretary of DHS and the Mexican president. And, basically, what Sheinbaum said this morning is that they talked about existing agreements that are being executed and also how Mexico has responded to the pressure they have received from the Trump administration to increase security around immigration and also drug trafficking.

They highlighted how Mexico has sent more troops to the border, how immigration through the southern border has decreased. But Secretary Noem also mentioned that there's more work to be done. President Sheinbaum said this morning that all the cooperation will continue in a respectful way, that they will not allow any intervention, any big order, if you will, from the United States government, that all of this is in the context of the binational cooperation that is crucial for both nations.

[11:35:30]

She made very little mention of whatever might come of the proposed tariffs that might go into effect in a couple of days after the April 2 deadline that Donald Trump imposed, or the suspension of the 25 percent tariffs to Mexican imports.

But it's actually very telling how the Mexican government, President Sheinbaum has been very calm in how she is reacting to all the announcements coming out of Washington. She has welcomed every American envoy that has come talk to her about trade or security.

And she's saying that when the need to act is going to be evident, that's when they're going to announce any type of action they will take if the tariffs are going to affect in a couple of days. But her demeanor throughout the beginning of the Trump administration has been calm, receptive, reacting, and in sometimes taking action.

And we can see how Donald Trump has not really been going after her the way he's been going after other world leaders, Trump.

BLITZER: All right, Gustavo Valdes reporting for us.

Gustavo, thank you very, very much -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, up next, we're learning some new details about another deportation case in the academic world, a graduate student detained in what university officials call a deeply concerning situation.

We have a live report up next.

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[11:41:43]

BROWN: Well, we have some new details under CNN about immigration agents targeting yet another college student.

The University of Minnesota has sent a campus-wide letter saying that ICE detained an international graduate student at their residence. It is unclear what the student is accused of or what their immigration status is.

CNN's Rafael Romo was following this.

So what more are you learning, Rafael?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pamela, the detention comes as several foreign nationals affiliated with prestigious American universities have been arrested amid the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. But this case, Pam, stands out due to the lack of information about

what exactly happened to this student. Officials have not released this student's identity, the location where this individual is currently being held or the reason for the detention

CNN reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to request information about this case. But, so far, there has been no reply. The University of Minnesota disclosed some details in a letter sent to students, faculty and staff on Friday, calling what happened a deeply concerning situation, as many on campus rallied on -- in support of the detained student, expressing concern and indignation.

According to the letter, an international graduate student was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday. The detention happened off campus, but the student is enrolled at the Twin Cities campus. University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham said in the letter that the university had not -- had no prior knowledge of this incident and did not share any information with federal authorities before it occurred.

Several Minnesota officials, including Governor Tim Walz, have reacted with both concern and surprise about this case, given that authorities have so far provided no information about the reason why this international student was detained.

This is what state Senator Doron Clark had to say about the case.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

STATE SEN. DORON CLARK (D-MN): What stood out to me was the lack of information. We don't know. We don't know where the student is. We don't know the student's name. We just don't know what happened. And without -- the only way we found out was not from the federal government.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ROMO: And, Pam, this is the latest case in a wave of international students who have been detained by immigration officials.

Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University graduate student whose lawyers say she is unfairly being punished for speaking out in favor of Palestinian rights, a video of her detention showing six plainclothes officers encircling her on the street near her apartment in the Boston area went viral last week.

Also, Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University student, is among those detained -- Pam.

BROWN: Yes.

And what more can you tell us, Rafael, about these students and whether they're getting due process?

ROMO: That's the thing, Pam. The problem is that, number one, it's very difficult for their attorneys, not to mention us in the media, to know exactly why they are being detained.

And, number two, it's been also difficult to find out where they're being sent. The common denominator seems to be that some of these students participated in protests, pro-Palestinian protests, or wrote articles on some publications. And that's what their attorneys are telling us, that this seems to be a case where they're being targeted, retaliated against because of their activities in previous years, Pam.

[11:45:11]

BROWN: All right, Rafael Romo, thank you -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Pamela, coming up from 64 to four. The final men's March Madness teams have punched their tickets to San Antonio. What makes these Final Four teams stand out? That's next.

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[11:50:19]

BLITZER: As March Madness marches toward April, this year's Final Four is now set for the men.

BROWN: For just the second time ever, all four number one seeds have advanced to the national semifinals. Duke, Houston, Auburn and Florida will head to San Antonio for a shot to win it all.

And, apparently, our very own Wolf Blitzer saw it coming. Check out that bracket.

(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: Even though I gave you a hard time about Duke at the time, Wolf.

All right, CNN contributor Cari Champion is back with us.

Cari, four number one seeds in the Final Four. It's rare, but should we be surprised?

CARI CHAMPION, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know what? I think we should be surprised.

I think one of the big storylines of this year's tournament was there were no real true Cinderella stories. So, Wolf is not surprised. His bracket does look really good. We will see what happens come Saturday. But I will tell you what. All four of these teams are not necessarily on par for number ones, but we're going to get some really good games.

I'm going with Duke.

BROWN: Oh, man, that hurts.

BLITZER: Yes, me too, Cari. I think Duke is going to go all the way. I know that Pamela likes North Carolina. She went to the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. So there's an issue of a rivalry between North Carolina and Duke.

BROWN: And grew up in Kentucky as well.

CHAMPION: Oh.

BLITZER: Yes, so -- yes, but I like Duke. I like Duke to go all the way.

CHAMPION: I will say this. Pamela, you weren't there when I was there last week, and he told -- Wolf said it's an emotional pick. And I have emotional picks too.

I picked UCLA. And they have made it to their very first Final Four. And I think this is going to be huge for the school, the program, its history. And I'm sticking with my pick that they're going to take it all.

BROWN: There you go.

CHAMPION: What say you, Wolf?

Are they going to take it all?

(LAUGHTER)

BLITZER: And on the women's side, I do have Michigan going all the way. Ask me why Michigan?

CHAMPION: Why Michigan?

(LAUGHTER)

BLITZER: Because I have a lot of friends who went to school there, basically. And if I didn't pick Michigan, they would be upset.

BROWN: They would be -- that was good.

BLITZER: So it's just an emotional thing, yes.

BROWN: That was the right move.

All right, so you bring up UCLA. On the women's side, UCLA and South Carolina, they have punched their tickets to the Final Four. We're waiting to see who grabs the two remaining spots. Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks are looking to win back-to-back titles. Can they pull it off, Cari? What do you think?

CHAMPION: I -- and I say this just based on what I have been able to see. I always look for the eye test.

Dawn Staley, obviously, South Carolina, defending champions, this team in particular looks beatable. That doesn't mean they can't win at all, but they really do look beatable. They have been down a few times in the tournament, and I have really been confused about who actually is leading on that team's side. So I have to say, I can't really stamp them and say this is a fact

that they will win at all. There are too many good women's teams right now. We have got Texas. We have, obviously, UCLA. We will find out today whether it'll be UConn or USC. There are so many good teams here.

I think, if I had to say this, Pamela, look out for UConn. UConn hasn't been here in a very long time, and what I mean by that is close to a national championship. Geno Auriemma, Paige Bueckers. Paige Bueckers is arguably one of the best players left in the women's side.

And I think they have a lot to prove. So that's where I'm kind of leaning. I'm leaning towards a UCLA-UConn matchup in Final Four.

BROWN: All right. All right, we will have to wait and see.

Cari Champion, thank you so much.

CHAMPION: Thank you both.

BLITZER: Very exciting times.

Finally, here in Washington, it's cherry blossom time, both here in Washington, as well as in Japan. The trees had peak bloom last weekend, but continue blooming for several days, and it marks the second earliest peak bloom on record.

Here's CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Japan's cherry blossoms are once again in bloom, a fleeting fairyland lasting only about two weeks, uniting locals and visitors in Tokyo under a canopy of pink and white.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were excited. We'd heard that it was a big event. Everybody comes out, has a picnic, spends the day. And I love being around a lot of people and seeing everybody out, just having a wonderful time together.

CHINCHAR: The temperature-sensitive buds flowered five days earlier than last year, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, an earlier season that's raised some concerns in recent years about the potential impact climate change could have on the treasured trees.

But some residents in Tokyo say the weather has been unusual lately.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The recent temperatures changed quite a lot, and my body can't adjust to it. I think the cherry blossoms probably can't keep up with the changes either.

CHINCHAR: Almost in sync with the cherry blossoms in Japan, Washington, D.C., is also pretty in pink, the U.S. National Park Service declaring peak bloom on Friday.

[11:55:09]

The trees were gifts from Japan, first arriving in Washington in 1912, with some people saying the fragile flowers are an escape from some of the harshness of the world.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: D.C. is majestic, and despite the political crazy, this is what it's all about. It's gorgeous. I love it. It's majestic. It's God.

CHINCHAR: Last year, Japan announced a new gift of 250 more trees to the U.S., once again sharing the joy that people both in Tokyo and Washington try to enjoy as long as it lasts.

Allison Chinchar, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thank you, Allison. I love those cherry blossoms.

BROWN: I do too.

BLITZER: I know Pamela does as well.

And, to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning. You can keep up with both of us on social media @WolfBlitzer and @PamelaBrownCNN.

We will see you back here tomorrow, every weekday morning for our expanded two-hour SITUATION ROOM 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

BROWN: "INSIDE POLITICS" with our friend and colleague Dana Bash is next right after a short break.