CNN halted for breaking news as Donald Trump's devastating mistake exposed

CNN was halted for a breaking news announcement at the close of the US stock markets yesterday (April 21) after Donald Trump’s major mistake was exposed. Markets had plummeted throughout the day, with the Dow Jones Industrial down nearly 1000 points before the closing bell rang out. Anchor Kasie Hunt had the latest as she delivered a devastating blow to the president. As she read, a breaking news strap along the screen announced: "Any moment: Closing bell amid steep new losses on Wall Street.”

She told viewers: “US markets plunging today, the Dow Jones Industrial down nearly 1000 points just ahead of the closing bell. Let’s get to CNN’s Jeff Zeleny at the White House as we listen for that bell, it should be just about to ring here shortly before 4pm. Jeff, this nosedive has been prompted at least in part by President Trump’s ongoing criticism of the chairman of the federal reserve. What unfolded there today?”

In a damning statement, Jeff responded: “Kasie, you can almost set your watch to it – every time the president lashes out at the chairman of the federal reserve Jerome Powell and talks about either firing him or calls him a name, the markets have responded very negatively, and that’s what we saw all day long today.

“The president putting out a message about 10 minutes after the markets opened. The president says this: ‘There can be a slowing of the economy unless Mr Too Late, a major loser, lowers interest rates now. Europe has already lowered several times, Powell […] lowered it to help sleepy Joe Biden, later Kamala got elected, how did that work out?’”

Jeff went on to say: “I was talking to a top investor in New York. He explained it to me like this, he said, ‘The market is fixated on Powell being fired, so that is one of the things that is really driving all this.’ There’s very much an open question, is the chair of the federal reserve able to be fired? It’s an independent branch but the president says, ‘If I want him out he’ll be out as fast as I say so.’

“There’s a big division in conversation going on still inside the administration about Jerome Powell’s future and the markets are reacting to that every single day that happens. It’s an unforced error in the eyes of many market watchers here but the president clearly is fixated on Jerome Powell, who, we should point out, [Trump] appointed him to this position during his first term.”