Trade War Escalates, China Hits U.S.; British Believe Kremlin Behind Poisoning; Trump's Anti-Immigrant Easter Tirade
RENE MARSH, CNN ANCHOR: China makes good on the promise hitting the United States with tariffs on $3 billion in U.S. goods. The move is retaliation for the President's tariffs on China. And how will the White House respond this morning?</s>DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: No more DACA deal. The President with the Easter morning tirade taking hope for dreamers of the table and demanding Mexico to take actions to stop drug dealers.</s>MARSH: And was the poisoning of the former spy in the U.K. directed by the Kremlin? British authorities say yes. Welcome back to "Early Start," I'm Rene Marsh.</s>BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. It is good to see you Rene. 4:30 Eastern Tim, we start on trade, where China making good on its trade threats opening fears of a trade war starting today. China will slap tariffs on $3 billion worth of U.S. goods. Retaliation against President Trump's duties on foreign steel and aluminum. The Chinese tariffs at 128 U.S. product ranging from agriculture products, pork, fruit, nuts to steel pipes, and aluminum. This move is the latest in escalating tensions between China and the U.S. which may only get worst. The President has more trade actions in the works like tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods. Experts warn they could cause further retaliation and a trade war would be devastating for U.S. consumers, investors and companies. The President has long accused Beijing of unfair trade practices that steal American jobs. Bur for his first year in office, he did not make any major trade moves, however, the exodus of a number of globalist from the White House like Gary Cohen and Rex Tillerson may be freeing the president to follow through on his trade threats. China has repeatedly said, it does not want to trade war, but warns it will take firm counter measures if necessary.</s>MARSH: Well, President Trump on an anti-immigrant rant on Easter Sunday, much of it on Twitter. Here are the tweets, "Border patrol agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the border. Getting more dangerous. Caravans coming. Republicans must go to nuclear option to pass tough laws now. No more DACA deal." More on those caravans in just a moment. The Twitter tirade, just the latest example of the President going with his gut on a key moment -- at a key moment on several policy and political fronts.</s>BRIGGS: His tone drew swift and sarcastic pushback from many inside and outside of Washington. Among them Ohio Governor, John Kasich, he tweeted, "A true leader preserves and offers hope. It doesn't take hope from innocent children who call America home." Remember, today is Easter Sunday and this from Republican Congresswoman, Lleana Ros-Lehtinen quote, "Such a strong message of love and new beginnings from Donald Trump on Easter Sunday." Hence the explanation -- the emoji's down there with the sarcasm? White House Correspondent, Boris Sanchez, has more from Mar-a-Lago.</s>BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN NEWSROOM HOST: Rene and Dave, no confirmation yet from the White House on specifically why he chose to spend Easter Sunday delivering this message about immigration, but we should point out that just a few moments before he sent these tweets, there was a report on the cable news station about this caravan of immigrants moving through Central America into Mexico, some of them with the intention of asking the United States for asylum and there by entering the country. The President obviously angered by that report. So, he took to Twitter, to attack Democrats, to say that the DACA deal was over and then to demand that Mexico do more when it comes to stopping the flow of immigrants. The President did meet with the press for a short time before heading into Easter service on Sunday morning. Listen to what he said.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mexico has got to help us at the border. And a lot of people are coming in, because they want to take advantage of DACA and we are going to have to really see, they had a great chance. The Democrats blew it. They had a great, great chance, but we have to take a look.</s>SANCHEZ: President Trump going even further on Twitter saying that he would end the North American Free Trade Agreement unless Mexico did more. Unclear specifically what he wants Mexico to do. Dave and Rene.</s>BRIGGS: Boris, thank you my friend. There is growing resistance to President Trump's announcement that the U.S. will pull out of Syria, quote, "very soon." The President also placed a hold on more than $200 million in recovery funds for Syria last week. Demanding more information on the money being spent. Republican Senator, Lindsey Graham, warns withdrawing American troops from Syria would be a dangerous mistake that could undo gains made against terrorist groups.</s>SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: When it comes to Syria, do not read the Obama playbook. This is the Obama playbook. One foot in, one foot out. That the single worst decision the President could make. I have seen this movie before when Obama did the same thing in Iraq and quite frankly gave Assad a pass and Syria when he had them on the ropes. We got ISIS along the ropes. We didn't want to let them off the ropes, remove American soldiers.</s>BRIGGS: The President's remarks last week about pulling out of Syria came hours after the Pentagon said the opposite. Two members of the U.S.-led coalition including Master Sergeant, Jonathan Dunbar, of Austin, Texas were killed in a battle the same day.</s>MARSH: Well, two top Republicans giving a big vote of confidence to Robert Mueller. Senator Tim Scott and Congressman Trey Gowdy, claimed to shield the Special Counsel from attempts by some in the GOP to discredit him.</s>TREY GOWDY, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: I'm glad we have Bob Mueller. I'm glad we had an independent ball and trike caller on Congress has proven itself incapable of conducting serious investigations. Congressional investigations leak like the gossip girls. They're -- I mean, they're terrible. And I would be telling you that if I were staying in Congress. They are just not serious.</s>SEN TIM SCOTT, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: It only reinforces why it is important for us to make sure that the investigation continues until it gets to the end. I hope that we get there the sooner the lighter, but the reality of it is the more information we find out, the better and the more confident the American people will be in who we are as a nation.</s>MARSH: Well, that is a starkly different tone from Wisconsin Senator, Ron Johnson, who told "Meet the Press," he thinks Mueller was appointed far too soon.</s>BRIGGS: Breaking overnight. A source tells CNN British investigators believe the poisoning of a former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal likely had the approval of the Kremlin. CNN's Matthew Chance is live in Moscow with the latest. Matthew?</s>MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dave, thank for that. that's further than the British has gone up until now, up until now they've been saying that they believe this was unlawful chemical attack carried out by the Russian State or it is possible they refer -- they've said that -- this nerve agent, Novichok, could have fallen into criminal hands and had been used in that way. But it seems that the British investigators are learning much more now to the side of the Russian state involvement. Suggesting that the used of the nerve agent could not had been authorized, unless it was authorized from the top of Russian policy. Trump haven't had a reaction yet from the Kremlin about that latest allegations, but I can tell that the Kremlin and although other Russian officials have categorically denied any involvement in the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal of with that nerve agent, Novichok, on the streets of Salisbury in Southern England. They have come out with more than a dozen of theories to explained alternative narratives, to explained, what could have happened to them. The latest one is being promoted on Russian television. Is it the British themselves concocted this entire story in order to make Russia look bad. And so, the Russians categorically again, denying any involvement in this.</s>BRIGGS: And here we go again, 11:38 a.m. here, Matthew Chance live for us in Moscow. Good to see you.</s>MARSH: Well, if you shop at Saks or Lord and Taylor, a major data breach. You need to know about 5 million people's credit cards affected. Are you one of them? Details next.