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United States Embassy In Lebanon Urges Caution "Due To High Tensions In The Region"; Israeli Settlers Storm West Bank Village, Killing At Least One; Trump Campaigns In Key Swing State Of Pennsylvania Ahead Of Criminal Trial; Six Victims Killed In Sydney Mall Stabbing, Attacker Killed By Police; Biden To Return To The WH To Meet With Natl. Security Team; Bridge Reopens After Rogue Barges Break Free On Ohio River; Tiger Woods Makes Record 24th Straight Cut At Masters. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired April 13, 2024 - 12:00   ET

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

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Don't forget, you can find all of our shows online as podcast @cnn.com/podcast and on all other major platforms.

I'm Christiane Amanpour in New York. Thank you for watching, and we'll see you again next week. We want to leave you with a little more of this wonderful opera.

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[12:00:32]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone. Thanks for joining me. I'm Omar Jimenez, in for Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin in the Middle East where the region -- where the region is on a razor's edge waiting to see how and when Iran will retaliate against Israel, potentially the U.S. over the killing of senior Iranian military officials.

Now, sources say the U.S. expects Iran to carry out a direct attack on Israel in the coming days.

New today, Iranian authorities have seized a container ship -- container ship near the Strait of Hormuz. Now, the ship which Tehran links to Israel has been directed toward Iran.

And overnight, Israel and Hezbollah exchange attacks across the border with Southern Lebanon.

Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem and Jennifer Hansler is in Washington. We've got a lot to keep an eye on here.

Jeremy, I want to go to you first. How is Israel preparing for a possible attack here?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Omar, Israeli forces are certainly on high alert, anticipating a potential Iranian attack that could even come on Israeli soil. That has yet to be confirmed yet, but it will certainly determine the size and the scale of a potential Israeli response.

So, what the Israeli military's top spokesman Daniel Hagari is saying today is that Iran will bear the consequences he says for choosing to escalate. Yesterday, we also heard from Israelis -- Israel's top generals, saying that Israeli forces are well prepared and ready to defend against any threat, in any scenario.

We know that Israel has been trying to deter a potential attack even as they are preparing to respond to one as well. And that's being done mostly through messaging, that messaging about being prepared to respond to any attack. But also, the images that we saw yesterday of Israeli officials, including Israel's defense minister, and its top general, side by side with the head of CENTCOM, General Kurilla, trying to send a message that the United States will also be involved in cooperating in plotting out a potential response. And also, in defending against a potential Iranian attack.

We know that the United States has moved additional assets into the region. And we also know that the U.S. is prepared to intercept any missiles that are fired towards Israel. We know that they have done so in the past. For example, when Iranian proxies fired on Israel from Yemen, as well as those Iranian proxies that are in Iraq.

So, that is certainly a possibility. And we know, of course, that U.S.-Israeli cooperation is being put at the heart of potential Iranian response by both the United States and Israel.

JIMENEZ: Yes, Jeremy. And it is that U.S.-Israeli cooperation at this point that Iranian officials have said has -- would also potentially include United States assets. And that's where I want to bring in Jennifer Hansler. So, what are we hearing from President Biden on this front?

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Omar, we heard a very clear message from the president yesterday, warning the Iranians do not get involved, do not escalate. This is coming as the U.S. is warning that this could be an imminent attack by Iran against Israel or Israel -- Israeli or U.S. assets. Take a listen to the president's words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How imminent do you think an attack on Israel is from Iran, Mr. President?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't want to get into secure information, but my expectation is sooner than later.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President, what is your message to Iran in this moment?

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President --

BIDEN: Don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANSLER: Now, Omar, we know this message has also been conveyed behind the scenes to the Iranians directly. There has been an exchange between the U.S.-Iran over the past week with the US warning do not escalate, and the Iranian saying do not get involved and do not support Israel in this.

Now, I should also note behind the scenes, there has been this major diplomatic push by the secretary of state and other U.S. officials to have any countries that have any sway over Iran, warning them do not escalate this situation.

The secretary of state has called a number of counterparts over the past several days including China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, to tell them press Iran do not do this.

We know the Europeans have also been engaged. So, there is this really high sense of alarm over the potential for this to really explode. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Yes, and look, the calculus here seems to be what can the response be without a wider spread -- escalation here?

Jennifer, thank you. Jeremy, before we go, I also want to ask you about these deadly attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, what's happening there?

DIAMOND: Well, a hundred of Israeli settlers have begun to surrounds Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank, going on what can only be described as a rampage, spurred on by ideas of revenge.

[12:05:09]

We know that a 14-year-old Israeli boy, Benjamin -- Binyamin Achimair, he went missing yesterday in the West Bank near an Israeli settlements, and he was found today dead. The Israeli military says that he was killed. They are calling it a terrorist attack, although, they didn't provide any evidence to back up that allegations.

But there is nothing at this point linking Palestinians and certainly not Palestinians in some of these towns to his death. My team and I were actually in one of those Palestinian towns this morning, the village of Al-Mughayyir, where we saw Israeli settlers -- dozens of Israeli settlers who were armed, descending on that village. They set fire to multiple vehicles.

And we also know that shots were fired. One Palestinian man we saw shot in the leg he was quickly whisked away by an ambulance. We didn't see who fired those shots. But we know that even yesterday, before this boy was actually found dead, Israeli settlers were already using his disappearance as an excuse to carry out these acts of violence in these Palestinian villages.

One Palestinian man was killed yesterday. But today, the at least a dozen Palestinians arrived at hospitals in the West Bank, many of them with gunshot injuries. Omar.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Jeremy Diamond, Jennifer Hansler, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

And now back here to the United States and the historic hush money trial, former President Donald Trump, which starts in just two days.

If convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, Trump could face up to 20 years in state prison. Now, his indictment stems from his alleged role in a scheme to silence salacious details about alleged affairs with adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, before the 2016 election.

Now, Trump has denied all of that. But with an unprecedented trial comes unprecedented security as well. The NYPD Secret Service and the New York court system are taking a multi layered approach to ensure all parties stay safe here.

Meanwhile, the former president is spending his weekend on the campaign trail. Today, he's hosting events in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. So, a lot to get to here.

CNN's Mark Morales and Alayna Treene are covering all of the latest. Mark, I want to start with you. Look, Trump's trial in New York is expected to draw crowds of supporters and critics alike. How are police preparing for this?

MARK MORALES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTER: Well, Omar, police are going to be working with their federal partners. And what they are promising is a more robust security package. And what that means is that this area is going to be even more secure than it has been in the past.

Now, what's changed between then and now is that the former president is now the presumptive nominee. And according to law enforcement officials that I've spoken to, that does two things, it raises the stakes, and it also increases the threat level.

Now, a multiple things are going to be going on, on Monday, when the security package is put into place. You are going to have boots on the ground. Meaning it's going to be intense police presence, barricades, bomb sniffing dogs, drones, all the electronics that the -- that the NYPD and other federal law enforcement partners are known for will be here in the area.

But in addition to that, it's also going to be intelligence. So, there's going to be this push to really make sure that threats that are being -- that are going to be made online over the Internet -- how legitimate are they? Are they lone wolves? Are they threats that don't have any teeth to them? Are they even disturbances like planned protests that are going to be in the area?

All this is going to make for what law enforcement is recognizing as a big challenge. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HART, ASSISTANT CHIEF, NEW YORK POLICE DISTRICT: Just six to eight weeks of a -- of a trial jury selection, and then, a trial of, you know, unprecedented scale. Former president, running for president on trial here in New York City. So, this is -- it's a big challenge. It's a lot of moving parts, you'll be also moving in and out of the city on a regular basis. So, we are working with all of our partners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORALES: So, while this is happening here, you'll also be seeing intense security inside the courthouse. The 15th floor will the president will be his courtroom, that floor will be frozen. The elevator that he'll take, that will be frozen as well.

Secret Service will be sitting right behind him. There'll be sprinkled throughout the courtroom, as well as court officers sitting on the edge of the aisle, says -- create a buffer between the public and him when he walks down the aisle.

And all of this happens while we have an active courthouse here. And that's going to be another challenge for law enforcement. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Look, this courthouse is dealt with high-profile cases before they have a security plan in place. But all of what you just laid out gets to the unprecedented nature of what we are expecting to see starting this week. Mark. Thank you.

CNN's Alayna Treene is in Pennsylvania where the former President will be speaking later today.

[12:10:03]

Now, Alayna, Trump has often melded his legal troubles with the campaign trail. But literally now, he's going to have to sit in the courtroom every day of this criminal trial. How is his campaign plan to work around that?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CONGRESSIONAL AND PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS REPORTER: Well, you're totally right, Omar. I mean, this is going to be a very difficult and challenging balancing act that the former president's campaign is going to have to juggle over the next several weeks.

And you're right, the court has required him to be in trial every single day, throughout his criminal hush money case. And so, what we're going to see is he'll be in the courtroom. Mondays, Tuesdays, he'll have Wednesday off, and then, he'll also be required to be in the courtroom on Thursdays and Fridays.

When I talked to his campaign, they said that they're going to really try to have them host campaign rallies on Wednesdays and on Saturdays, when he's not in court. But, of course, this is taking him off the campaign trail at a very critical part of his general election campaign. And we're also going to see the president, President Joe Biden, stomping all days of the week and going out there without any limitations. So, this is something that's really top of mind for his team.

And I am in Pennsylvania today. And we're really going to see a preview of this juggling act play out this weekend. He's going to be coming to Pennsylvania first for a donor event, then, he'll come here to Knoxville for this political rally.

Tonight, he'll go immediately to New York City, sleep there overnight, and then tomorrow, he's going to be prepped by his attorneys about court protocol. And so, that's we're going to see play out this week.

Now, we did hear the former president himself addressed this yesterday during a press conference where he hinted that he may want to testify in his case. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, I would testify. Absolutely. It's a scam. It's a scam.

You know, jury selection is largely luck. It depends who you get. It's very unfair that I'm having a trial there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, Omar, I think, there is two things really to keep in mind here. One is that Donald Trump often says he wants to testify in his own trials against the advice of his own counsel. And then, he ultimately does not ended up doing so.

So, we'll see whether or not he actually does take the stand in this trial. The other part, of course, excuse me. The other part of this, though, of course, is he mentioned jury selection, and this is something that his team is very much worried about.

The former president himself has been frustrated that his trial is happening in New York City and wasn't moved to elsewhere. And so, we'll also see that play out this week when jury selection begins on Monday. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Look, with the extent of indictments against the former president, we are wondering how this dynamic was going to play out, the court battles with the campaign cycle? It seems that Monday, we're going to see that actually come into fruition.

Alayna Treene and Mark Morales, thank you both so much.

Still to come, Donald Trump is standing by embattled Mike Johnson as the House Speaker confronts a challenge within his own ranks. But isn't enough to save Johnson's job? We're going to talk about it.

And later, six people were killed in a mass stabbing at a busy shopping center in Sydney, Australia. We're going to have the details. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:17:36]

JIMENEZ: With his job on the line, embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson traveled to Mar-a-Lago, Florida on Friday to hold a meeting and a news conference with former President Donald Trump.

Now, the two GOP leaders vowed to push for a ban on non-U.S. citizens voting in federal elections. This despite a law stating exactly that is already on the books. Trump also expressed support for Johnson and made calls for his ouster by fellow Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're getting along very well with the Speaker and I get along very well with Marjorie. We have a speaker he was voted in. And it was a complicated process. And I think very -- it's not an easy situation for any Speaker.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: All right, A lot of dynamics at play. And joining me now to talk more about all this is Juliegrace Brufke, she is a Capitol Hill reporter for Axios. And Mica Soellner is a congressional reporter for Punchbowl News. Thanks for joining me to you both.

But Julie Grace, I want to go to you first. Did Trump say or do enough to save Speaker Johnson's job here?

JULIEGRACE BRUFKE, CAPITOL HILL REPORTER, AXIOS: No, I think he have -- is for April and May have had an impact with some members of the Freedom Caucus that we're kind of considering -- joining in with Marjorie Taylor Greene there if she does ultimately decide to pull the trigger on the motion to vacate, but she hasn't committed to doing. But that being said, right after that press conference, she came out and kind of double down her criticisms of Johnson.

So, I'm not sure that she's fully sold unless he kind of comes out more outwardly, and asked her to kind of call off the wolves there.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And look, the test still lies ahead, Mica. As Juliegrace's mentioned, even though Marjorie Taylor Greene has vowed -- has vowed to call for a vote to oust Speaker Johnson, that motion hasn't officially gone forward.

But John -- for Johnson, if he brings the Ukraine aid package to the floor, which is a lot of what the senators on like he has suggested he wants to do, where do you think the Speaker goes from here? And what is the status of Ukraine aid here?

MICA SOELLNER, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: Yes, Omar, that's a great question. I think that Ukraine aid could very well potentially be the nail in the coffin for Johnson if he does put an aid bill on the floor. I spoke with former Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry last week, who said it really depends on what that aid bill looks like. And I think a lot of those members in the Freedom Caucus. I think similarly to that, I think it's very dependent on how this goes.

I think it's very interesting to see Trump being open to Johnson and really not weighing in so much, despite the fact that he has been very critical of Ukraine aid in the past.

[12:20:00]

And I know that obviously, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has been very, very much against the Ukraine aid. So, I think that could very much put his job in jeopardy.

JIMENEZ: Well, and look, another factor, another -- a bill that has led to a revolt by some in his own party, Juliegrace is speaker Johnson was able to pass a divisive modified FISA surveillance bill this week, after some house conservatives revolted and defeated an earlier vote that though, this version seems to they have -- they were appeased a little bit because it was a two-year reauthorization instead of a five year. But bottom line, did that passing vote help or hurt Speaker Johnson standing with Republicans?

BRUFKE: Well, conservatives are still pushing back on it, there was kind of a push for a procedural page to kind of retract that bill. It's expected to come to the floor Monday.

And I've spoken to leadership, they are pretty confident that it will ultimately given how large the margins were with Democrats support on the underlying bill will ultimately be sent to the Senate.

But there is still some pushback. And that was one of Marjorie Taylor Greene's big criticisms right after that press conference yesterday.

JIMENEZ: Yes, yes. And look, all of this is happening within an election year, where the former president who, of course, has been able to sway GOP members. Over the course of at least this session has been campaigning, and Speaker Johnson has been a staunch Trump supporter, who did work behind the scenes to support Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Yesterday, though, the two men were once again together raising concerns about the integrity of elections and made some more false claims about voting and immigration. That's a separate topic.

What does this say -- I want to go to you, Mica. What does this say about the GOP strategy heading into the 2024 election? Because it is -- it is slightly modified than from what folks were saying after the 2020 election?

SOELLNER: Yes, absolutely. I mean, I think it's very clear that House Republicans are going to make immigration and border security a top issue for them, and they are going to hammer Democrats, especially Democrats, representing border states, in purple districts. These vulnerable ones, who know that this is a problem for their party as well.

I think it's very interesting to see Johnson and Trump really come together on this issue. And this is kind of the first effort, I think, by the Speaker that he's kind of gotten a boost not only from the former president, but I think a lot of the members of the conference really agree with the strategy. They are kind of given their unity on border security. I think that's one of the few areas that they've -- a lot of members have been able to agree on.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And we've seen them transfer some of those concerns over to the election integrity, side of things. Juliegrace, before we go, Trump isn't the only Republican on the ballot in November, Republicans in the House overall, have a pretty narrow shrinking majority at this point, and are going to be in a tough fight to stay in power.

Do you get the sense that Republicans have a plan to show that they can lead and pass legislation in the coming months, not just for the good of the country, but also in an effort to maintain their majority in the House?

BRUFKE: Now, I've talked to a lot of members that have some major concerns that a lot of the chaos that they've had throughout this entire Congress, between motions to vacate, and three weeks Speaker's race back in October. That another motion to vacate if that happens, could really kind of hinder things in terms of getting it -- retaining the majority or picking up seats.

Now, they did better with redistricting in New York and some other states than they kind of expected to. But I think the top of the ticket is going to have a big impact on that. And there's definitely some concerns.

Democrats have been doing better in the fundraising arena. So, we'll see. I mean, between now and November, there is -- there is a lot of time, there is a lot of factors that could play in there. But really did the FISA, they've got some appropriation bills, and there aren't a huge -- ton of legislative priorities left for the rest of the year.

JIMENEZ: Yes, yes. You hit on the most important thing. November is both far and close at the same time. I don't know which one wins out there. but Juliegrace Brufke and Mica Soellner, thank you both so much.

BRUFKE: -- so much.

JIMENEZ: All right. Just ahead, the U.S. is expecting Iran to carry out strikes against multiple targets inside Israel in the coming days. Could an attack lead to an even broader conflict in the Middle East? We'll talk about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:28:34]

JIMENEZ: We're getting new details on a deadly attack at a mall in Sydney, Australia. Police say a 40-year-old man with a knife stabbed several people, killing six and injuring at least eight others, including a 9-month-old baby.

Investigators say early signs do not suggest a stabbing spree was related to terrorism and officer killed the attacker. CNN's Angus Watson has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANGUS WATSON, CNN NEWSDESK PRODUCER (voice over): Terrifying moments at a busy shopping center in Sydney. Hundreds of people race out in a panic to leave the mall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's going on?

WATSON (voice over): Where an attacker stabbed and killed at least six people Saturday afternoon before being shot dead at the scene by a police officer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone is screaming and sprinting, and they like, it was like a move -- like a horror movie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we saw all these people running towards us, and then, we had a shot and my husband drag this into the Adesh (PH) shop. And then, we've got the lady there trying to lock the doors.

WATSON: Survivors describe the chaos as they tried to barricade themselves inside stores during the attack.

VERNON MICHAEL, EYEWITNESS TO STABBING: They close the doors and we saw the guy come up the escalators, green shirt, I think shorts, with a big like knife in his hand. And just really calmly. He was just walking like he was having an ice cream in the park, you know.

WATSON: Authorities say several people, including a 9-month-old baby being treated in hospital for their injuries.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A mother came with the baby, bleeding, stabbed.

[12:30:04]

And we got them into the store and just got them safe and then run for help.

WATSON: Police is still trying to piece together details about the attacker and his motive. But they don't believe the stabbing was linked to terrorism.

ANTHONY COOKE, NEW SOUTH WALES ASSISTANT POLICE COMMISSIONER: We're not ruling anything out. From preliminary inquiries it would appear that this person has acted alone.

WATSON: A lone police officer shot the stabber as he raised his knife at her, police say, all while shoppers hid nearby.

JASON DICKSON, SAW OFFICER SHOOT ATTACKER: He's just not freighted towards us. And all I hear is, put it down. And then she shot him. But we are not -- if she didn't shoot him, well, he would've keep going. He was on the rampage. He was on a rampage.

WATSON: While police believe there's no longer a threat. The stabbing sent shockwaves across the country where mass casualty events are very rare.

Angus Watson, CNN, Sydney.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: Angus Watson, thank you for that reporting.

I want to go now to our top story, and Middle East tensions hitting a critical level not seen since the October 7th attacks by Hamas. Now sources say the U.S. expects Iran to carry out a direct attack on Israel in the coming days. Now Israel has vowed to retaliate over the killing of senior Iranian military officials early this month in Syria.

The U.S. says it is moving some of its assets in the region in case they also become the target of an attack by Iran or its proxies. I want to get some more analysis on this. So let's bring in retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt. He's also former Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs under George W. Bush. So a lot of relevant experience here. That's why we got you, General.

Let me let me ask you simply, based on everything we know to this point, what do you think is going to happen next?

BRIGADIER GENERAL MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, I think all of us are certain that Iran has to respond in some manner. It's just the nature of the culture in that region. Now, whether it's going to be more than this attack that they recently did on a merchant ship are far more -- that's yet to be seen. I think they're going to do more.

JIMENEZ: And look, at this point, you know, we've heard from the White House, they expect this retaliation to happen sooner rather than later. We've heard estimates of days to this point. Does Iran get more strategic value out of waiting to retaliate? Or in perhaps a bigger way or doing it quickly and, you know, a little bit more of a minor fashion?

KIMMITT: Well, I think there's some virtue in waiting, Omar. I mean, not only does it raise the psychological tension around the region, which achieves some of the purposes they have. But if you wait, for some period of time, people start getting sloppy. They're not at their radar looking 100 percent of the time, 100 percent accuracy. But I think they actually have some virtue and some value in waiting, rather than doing it right away.

JIMENEZ: And look, we've seen the U.S. start to move some of its assets around in the region. I mean, what do they expect? Or what do they expect is going to happen? And is that more of a sign up for preparing for a potential attack or is it to be in the best position to potentially respond if the attack is severe enough?

KIMMITT: Well, primarily, it's defensive in nature.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

KIMMITT: It's preventative. It's preemptive. I think I'd take a look at the types of assets that they're bringing in, air defense capabilities, so that if there is a large scale attack. But they're also bringing an aircraft carrier into the region, which is certainly assigned to Iran, that we have the capability between that aircraft carrier and the land based forces and air forces that we have pre- positioned in the region, that if they attempt a very large strike, particularly against American soldiers or American bases, there'll be a heavy price to pay.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And look, Central Command Staff General in the Middle East met with senior IDF officials in person in Israel Friday. Is there a distinction? Well, why is it important that he went there for that meeting in person? Does that signify anything to you?

KIMMITT: Well, I really think it does. I believe that the President has been very clear that we will stand behind Israel, but at the same time, he's got to acknowledge. And I think everybody acknowledges that we are trying to prevent a response from an attack done by the Israelis into Syria. So putting the American ground commander directly face to face with the Israelis confirms to the Israelis that not only do we have the intentions that were expressed by President Biden, that we will stand behind Israel by getting Kurilla in there, that actually shows that we've got the capabilities in place to do it as well.

JIMENEZ: Yes. General Kimmitt, I want you to stay with us while I bring in some breaking news here.

President Joe Biden is now returning to the White House to meet with his national security team. I want to bring in CNN's Jennifer Hansler in Washington. So Jennifer, why is the President cutting his trip to Delaware short? Do we know what this may or may not signify here?

[12:35:07]

HANSLER: Well, Omar, this seems to be the clearest sign yet that the U.S. is expecting an Iranian retaliatory move at any moment. Now the fact that he is returning from Rehoboth, Delaware, he was supposed to be spending the weekend there. He is now returning to Washington to meet with his national security team as they assess what could happen here.

Now we know that the U.S. expects Iran to take some sort of strike against Israel or Israeli assets in response to that strike against an Iranian facility in Damascus last week. Now the President is coming back to ensure that he is linked up with his team whenever this happens. We had heard that the President expected this imminently sooner than later. And this is a clear sign that they do expect this to happen very, very soon. Omar?

JIMENEZ: And I want to bring back in Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt for a second, because all right, we have this breaking news, President is coming back to meet with security personnel here. Does that say anything to you if you were assistant secretary for Political Military Affairs under a Joe Biden right now? What would -- what alarms would be going off in your head?

HANSLER: Well, I think there are two issues that we have to factor in. Number one, the most important, which are the policy issues. Obviously, intelligence streams have come in with this that there may be a near term attack that we might have thought. But there's also a political issue because Joe Biden in an election year want to be seen on Rehoboth Beach when the Iranians are attacking.

So out of an abundance of caution, I suspect he came back to the White House cut the visit short for both practical military reasons, but also for political reasons as well.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Well, we will see. Obviously, it's not too far of a trip from Rehoboth Beach to Washington, D.C., so potentially we'll get some answers this afternoon. General Kimmitt, Jennifer Hansler, thank you both. I'm sure we'll be coming back to you.

Up next, meanwhile, though, a scary scene reminiscent of the Baltimore bridge catastrophe, as authorities in Pittsburgh briefly closed a couple bridges when several barges broke loose on the Ohio River. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:41:51]

JIMENEZ: New today, a bridge near Pittsburgh has now reopened after briefly closing due to more than two dozen rogue barges. Officials say 26 vessels broke loose from a Pennsylvania Marina overnight and went adrift on the Ohio River. This is of course coming just a couple of weeks after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore. Now the McKees Rocks Bridge closed out of an abundance of caution and has since reopened. CNN's Polo Sandoval joins us now with the latest. So, Polo, what are officials saying here? Why did they take these precautions so quickly?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Omar, the owner and operator of these barges as you point out, 26 in all reporting that all but one had been safely recovered. Most of them actually pinned up against the banks of the Ohio River and the company, Campbell Transportation suspects that it was recent heavy rains it likely increase the flow of the Ohio River, causing some of those previously tethered barges that were carrying mainly some non-hazardous dry goods to break loose and then float down the Ohio River overnight uncontrolled.

As you mentioned a little while ago, fresh on the heels of that tragedy that took place in Baltimore referring to the bridge collapse that was caused by a vessel likely on the mines of local officials so they rushed to temporarily closed the McKees Rocks Bridge, historic bridge, as a precaution which has since reopened. Fortunately, no injuries reported here, though there was some damage that was reported at a local -- locally owned Marina there but outside of that, no major damage. But it really made for some pretty dramatic pictures overnight, as you see some of those barges actually pinned up against the Emsworth Locks and Dam which is actually just north of Pittsburgh. But again, as of this moment that company saying that all but one had been accounted for still trying to track that one but it does seem to be that this is a situation under control after a pretty scary night, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Yes, I mean it just to think the amount of vessels that were loose. To hear that mostly things are under control. It's definitely good news. Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

SANDOVAL: Thanks Omar.

[12:43:51]

JIMENEZ: All right, as Tiger tees off at the Masters, he's got another record under his belt. We're going to take a look at that and his chances of winning it all, next. Spoiler, he's got a long way to go. But we'll talk about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: All right. The third round of the Masters is underway at Augusta National with a three way tie at the top of the leaderboard. Lurking not too far behind the leaders is Tiger Woods. He set a Masters record by making his 24th consecutive cut. Making the cut though is different than winning. So let's see. On Friday, Tiger fought through a windy round on the course and starts the day seven shots back of the leaders. He is set to tee off this afternoon as he seeks his six green jacket.

Joining me now at Augusta National is Michael Bamberger, a senior writer for golf.com. He is also the author of the book, "The Second Life of Tiger Woods." Michael, good to see you. Now, look, Tiger set the record by making another cut.

MICHAEL BAMBERGER, SENIOR WRITER, GOLF.COM: Omar, thank you.

JIMENEZ: Oh, of course, of course. And making another cut Tiger made it at the Masters on Friday. As he tees off, how do you like his chances at this year's Masters?

BAMBERGER: Well, I like his chances to play 72 holes, that itself will be a tremendous accomplishment given what this guy has been through. Can he win? I would say no. And Jack Nicklaus would say, and I would go Jack Nicklaus in this, never, ever, ever, ever, ever bet against Tiger Woods.

JIMENEZ: Yes, he strikes me as someone that uses some of that as motivation to really push him so maybe we got to get words to him in some way. Now, look --

[12:50:02]

BAMBERGER: Yes. JIMENEZ: As you know, Tiger has struggled with injuries in recent years especially after that car crash in 2021, that nearly cost him his life, so also his career, of course, as well. He's only played one competitive full round this year. He really labored down the stretch to make the cut. What does it say to you that 48 years old and all the adversity he's faced, that he's still able to find a way to be competitive at the Masters again?

BAMBERGER: I don't think it's really so much that he's found a way to be competitive. I think that is maybe overstating really, where he is on the leaderboard. I think what we're really seeing here is an indomitable relentless spirit that this guy has, where there's absolutely no quit in him.

And this, and I'd say probably the British Open, the U.S. Open for sure, are the three things that have sort of defined his public life, and he can't let go of them. And it's a tremendous statement about competitive desire and athletic greatness. The -- actually Golf has never seen anything remotely like it. You know, Seabiscuit and, you know, a few other things come to mind. But in golf, Woods is completely out of mountaintop by himself.

JIMENEZ: Well, and you bring up such an important dynamic and a difficult one to deal with in sports is that persistence after injury, especially if it's a serious injury, whether it's in, you know, an Achilles tear in basketball, or, again, whether you're getting extensive back surgeries and things like that, that ability to persist is one that I think is so incredibly significant here.

I want to expand to the game at large for a second because you just wrote a piece titled this wild windy masters has been exactly what the game needed. What do you mean by that?

BAMBERGER: Well, golf is in a very, you know, for those who follow the game closely, they'll know this but others would not. Golf is in a wildly chaotic state right now where you've got the PGA, at the elite men's professional level, I should say, you know, all over Atlanta and all over the country, there are public courses where the tee sheets are completely packed.

And, you know, for guys trying to break people, golfers trying to break 100. Golf has never probably been healthier. But at the elite professional men's level, there's this divide between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. And it's really costly game in a lot of ways. And it's got -- the Golf has -- for men's golf is four major championships. And this Masters tournament brings -- is bringing everybody together in a kind of peaceful spirit.

And it's sort of like Thanksgiving dinner where, you know, you've got crazy Uncle Al and he can't get his pronouns straight and the turkeys a little dry. But the fact is, you've got everybody under one roof during the same thing. At the end of the day, someone's going to get this green jacket. And for a weekend anyway, this is simplifying it but for weekend in any way, we can actually just enjoy spectacular golf on a really spectacularly beautiful place. And put golf's civil war aside. JIMENEZ: Yes. And look, misery loves company. So when the conditions haven't been great, I've got to imagine that it just brings people a little bit together, even though some people not to name names have been a little bit more frustrated than others with the conditions. But that's a whole separate discussion we can get into. I got to leave it there for now though. Michael Bamberger, thank you so much. Really appreciate you being here. I should be out there. It looks amazing out there right now.

BAMBERGER: Thanks Omar. It's a nice place to be.

[12:53:26]

JIMENEZ: All right, amazing. All right, we'll be right back everyone.

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JIMENEZ: And a brand new episode of The Whole Story, CNN space correspondent Kristin Fisher brings us an in depth report on the James Webb telescope. Are we alone? Kristin?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Omar, the Webb telescope is one of the most incredible things ever built. But it's really only as good as the scientists that get to use it. And so for two years, we've been following around two scientific teams. And these are scientists who have just become some of the very first to ever get to use the most powerful telescope ever built.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FISHER (voice-over): The James Webb Space Telescope unprecedented in science and scale.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is effectively the best time machine that we've ever created.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: James Webb is revealing the cosmic story.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where do we come from? Are we alone in the universe? These are big questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unlocking the secrets that we never knew.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well over 10,000 individuals $10 billion.

FISHER: Behind schedule, over budget.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's thousands of ways this can go badly and one way it goes right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: James Webb begins a voyage back to the birth of the universe.

FISHER (voice-over): And those otherworldly images displayed on a cosmic tapestry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a historical moment for humanity and I feel we are super privileged, that we can actually see this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully we'll be able to see a reflection of ourselves and to learn more about where we came from.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's breathtaking.

FISHER (voice-over): Replacing our reality by rekindling a childlike imagination.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are all astronomers as a kid, as an adult you look up, you say what's out there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[13:00:04]

FISHER: And you can see one of the astronomers that we profiled there, Dan Milisavljevic, really getting kind of choked up as he walked into Webb's mission control for the very first time. You know, so much has been said about the telescope itself, the hardware. And of course, it's an engineering marvel so much has been said and seen about these amazing images that the Webb Telescope has captured.

But what we wanted to do with this show is really capture the scientists and their stories who get to use this telescope because it's up to them to come up with the questions that the telescope is then going to help them try to answer. And as we said, Omar, these are questions that really cut to the core of who we are, and what this all means. Omar?

JIMENEZ: All right, Kristen Fisher, thank you. And all new episode of The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper airs tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific only on CNN. New hour of Newsroom, let's go.