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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
President Trump Fires Pam Bondi as Attorney General; Interview with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI); Multiple Explosions in the Skies Over Tel Aviv; Sources: U.S. Intel Assesses Iran Still Has Significant Missile Launching And Drone Capability; Trump Threatens To Bomb Iran To "Stones Ages" If No Deal; Moments Ago: Artemis Leaves Earth's Orbit On Its Way To The Moon; Police Release Video From Tiger Woods' Latest Rollover Crash. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired April 02, 2026 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ...was when a spaceship takes off, a million things have to happen in a tiny bit of time, each in the perfect order and that sort of continues even as they fly up here. And as Colonel Coleman pointed out constantly, both on the earth and up there, rerunning the math, looking at it again and again, are we in the right place? Has anything changed? How do we adjust if we need to?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: It's unbelievable, as the Artemis crew is staring into void as they head for the dark side of the moon. Ed, Cady, Tom, thank you so much and thank you for being with us. AC360 starts now.
[20:00:40]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: Breaking news tonight on three fronts, exclusive new reporting that even as American forces strike, the first major civilian target of the war, Iran still maintains roughly half of its missile launching capability and about the same percentage of drones. And that's more than a month into the war.
Also, the crew of Artemis II after yesterday's picture-perfect liftoff, has just finished firing their rockets again and is now headed for a rendezvous with the moon and history.
John Berman here, in for Anderson, more on those stories ahead. We begin, though, with today's launch of Attorney General Pam Bondi back into private life. The President announced it online, "We love Pam," his message reads, "and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector to be announced at a date in the near future".
He goes on to say, "Our deputy attorney general and a very talented and respected legal mind, Todd Blanche, will step into service acting attorney general".
Bondi lost her job in spite of being one of the President's loudest defenders and deflectors. Here she is doing both to a lawmakers question about Jeffrey Epstein. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAM BONDI, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL: None of them asked Merrick Garland over the last four years, one word about Jeffrey Epstein. How ironic is that? You know why? Because Donald Trump, the DOW right now is over 50,000. I don't know why you're laughing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Since then, the market has fallen. And so, apparently has her stock with the President. But even though she has been effectively canned, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say that does not erase her obligation to testify before the House Oversight Committee. She is scheduled to appear in less than two weeks.
South Carolina Republican Committee Member Nancy Mace, who wants to make sure Bondi does appear, said today that Bondi, "handled the Epstein files in a terrible manner and seriously undermine President Trump".
Sources tell CNN that her standing with the President also suffered from her inability by his lights to investigate or prosecute enough of his perceived adversaries, something the man tapped as acting attorney general, recently identified as a strength of his.
This is Todd Blanche at the CPAC conference last week talking about purging those who investigated or prosecuted the President from the Department of Justice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TODD BLANCHE, U.S. DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: There is not a single man or woman at the Department of Justice who had anything to do with those prosecutions. Director Patel has cleaned House there, too. There isn't a single man or woman with a gun, federal agent still in that organization that had anything to do with the prosecution of President Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: It's quite a change from the first Trump administration, when another Deputy Attorney General, Rod Rosenstein, named a special counsel to investigate the Presidents 2016 campaign. Now, almost nine years later, the man who will be the highest law enforcement officer in the land, if only temporarily, is the President's former criminal defense attorney. Will he also be his newest, highest-ranking enforcer? And if so, for how long?
Let's start with CNN's Kaitlan Collins in Washington. You know, Kaitlan, it was last night at this very time you and I were co- anchoring a show and you broke the news that the President was floating the idea, asking around about the possibility of replacing Pam Bondi. He's gone and done it. So, what are your sources telling you about the decision and how soon he might name a replacement?
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN'S CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT AND THE ANCHOR OF "THE SOURCE": Yes, John, in the 24 hours since you and I were just talking about this, what we've learned is more of what was happening behind the scenes, particularly a conversation that the President had with Pam Bondi yesterday where he made clear that she was not going to be running the Department of Justice for much longer, that he was looking to replace her.
And that comes after we had heard on Monday night that these rumors had been kind of percolating around the West Wing that he was talking about ousting her as the attorney general and replacing her with maybe the EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, and was also throwing out a few other names here in Washington as well for that job. And it all culminated, obviously, overnight, as the President did oust her from this role and confirmed that he had fired her earlier today and, John, that she's not getting some kind of landing job inside the administration. She's actually just been ousted. And as he said, is moving on to the private sector, something that she confirmed.
We don't know what exactly that job is, but this has all been an entire tenure where, yes, it is true. The President is frustrated with her handling of the Epstein files. Really, the whole West Wing is because they know it's become such a sore point for them. But also, John, he is also frustrated that she hasn't gone after enough of his political opponents with prosecutions, but she has gone after several of them.
[20:05:20]
I mean, directly after he said that she should go after them. And so, this line of independence that used to exist between the White House and the Justice Department was completely eroded during Pam Bondi's tenure. And so, we've heard some people say Trump allies to me, the difficulty in finding someone who is more willing to do his bidding than Pam Bondi was, was a huge loyalist and ally of his.
I mean, the Justice Department even put an entire banner of the President's face on the building here in Washington while Pam Bondi was in charge. And so, it remains to be seen who comes next. And I do think, you know, despite the fact that we had heard it could be Lee Zeldin. It's pretty telling the President didn't announce Lee Zeldin in his post when he said that Pam Bondi was indeed out.
So, it still remains to be seen if they try to get someone in there who's already been confirmed by the Senate, or if they try for a new name -- John.
BERMAN: Yes, Kaitlan Collins, thank you very much. It is notable because in the past he has nominated someone right away. This time he's not. Maybe Todd Blanche will get some runway to prove his loyalty, perhaps to the President. Thank you very much. We'll see you at the top of the next hour. For "The Source," where you're going to speak with Senators Thom Tillis and Jeanne Shaheen.
Let's get perspective now from Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. He's a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. We spoke just before air.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: Senator, I know you're not sorry to see Pam Bondi go, but what are your expectations for what comes next?
SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-RI): Well, I think whatever comes next, they're going to have to deal with some serious problems at the Department of Justice. First of all, they're going to have to deal with Kash Patel. And I don't think any new attorney general wants to inherit the suite of problems that he brings to the department, and they have to deal with a department itself that is having trouble hiring, that is losing cases left, right and center, that has lost the credibility of federal courts and the presumption of regularity that has long been the crown jewel of the department. So, they've got a hole to dig out of.
BERMAN: What does it tell you that Pam Bondi was let go, apparently in part because she wasn't doing enough in terms of what the President wanted and persecuting or prosecuting his perceived political enemies?
WHITEHOUSE: Well, I think for anybody in that position in this administration, there is a terrible tension for them. In order to keep the job, they've got to sacrifice their integrity and be willing to do gangster stuff and that tends to crash into laws and department rules and conventions, and ultimately, federal judges.
BERMAN: There's a systemic issue in terms of the Department of Justice. The Trump DOJ has made this effort to install loyalists as interim or acting U.S. Attorneys around the country. And once their temporary status would run out, the attorney general would fire whomever a judge in those states named to replace them.
Now, you served as U.S. attorney for some time back in the 90's. Can you speak to sort of the structural issues that this leaves in its wake?
WHITEHOUSE: Yes, the department has created under Attorney General Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Blanche, a really big and really unnecessary problem for itself. It hasn't put U.S. attorneys through the confirmation process when it's tried to play games with its interim U.S. attorneys, it's blown up in its face over and over again.
And when the judges do what the law requires them to do, which is to then appoint an U.S. attorney until they can get their act together and get a confirmed U.S. attorney in place. The Department of Justice slaps the federal court in the face by instantly firing whoever they chose, and that then leaves an unprecedented situation, which is a U.S. attorney's office that can't file certain pleadings because there's no U.S. attorney to provide the legal signature that's required.
In every way, this was an unnecessary and stupid mess for the department to get itself into, but they're just so truculent about solving it that I don't think it's going to be solved soon and it's terrible for the department because it really is --
You know, you don't have to be the court that got slapped in the face to see another federal court slapped in the face and think there is something wrong with this Department of Justice.
BERMAN: So, we don't know who exactly the President will nominate to be the next full-time attorney general. One rumored possibility is Lee Zeldin, who is the administrator for the EPA right now, former New York congressman. If it is Lee Zeldin, what would you think of that pick?
WHITEHOUSE: Spectacularly unqualified, and, I think he's lied to Congress. And I think he has violated essential protocols and rules of the department already by smearing subjects of a criminal investigation in a way that the rules of the department don't allow.
So, you know, he brings nothing to the table except obsequious loyalty and willingness to do anything for the fossil fuel industry.
BERMAN: So, the Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanche, is going to be the acting attorney general until a fulltime nomination is placed. How much faith do you have in Todd Blanche?
[20:10:37]
WHITEHOUSE: Not much, I think they're episodes in which signals competence. But then there are things that he does like going down to interview Ghislaine Maxwell at the Tallahassee Prison that are inexplicable to anybody who's been in those kinds of positions before.
BERMAN: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse from Rhode Island, we appreciate your time tonight, thank you.
WHITEHOUSE: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: The next, more on what all this means for the Department of Justice and its direction. We're going to be joined by two former federal prosecutors, one of whom represents some of the people who have already been purged from the department.
And later, a live update on the Artemis II astronauts, who are now racing toward the moon just a day after rocketing into space.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:15:47]
BERMAN: That is the President's portrait writ large at the Justice Department, though it's certainly big enough to signal who everyone their answers to. It was not enough to keep attorney general Pam Bondi in his good graces. She is on her way out. The President's former criminal defense attorney, and is now going to be the acting attorney general. And the message this all sends up and down the ranks is louder than any picture over the door.
With us now, two former federal prosecutors, bestselling author Jeffrey Toobin and Yale Law School lecturer Margaret Donovan, who we should mention now represents DOJ and FBI employees who have been forced out of their jobs.
And, Margaret, let me just start with you, you know, in your view, what's Pam Bondi's legacy?
MARGARET DONAVAN, YALE LAW SCHOOL LECTURER: I think her legacy is just utter incompetence and to a level that has discredited the DOJ. We saw her in just a single year set the Department of Justice back decades, maybe even a century in credibility. And that's not just credibility with the judges and the bench, which is what you typically think of government credibility. And that's true, she's ruined that.
She has gotten search warrants rejected. She has made her DOJ, has made misrepresentations to the court. They have picked totally needless fights with the bench, but also the public because we have seen grand juries reject indictments.
We have seen criminal jury trials issue acquittals on her cases. And so, that tells you those are good metrics for how she has completely destroyed the credibility of the Justice Department. And it is going to take a long time to rebuild with people of, you know, far greater caliber than her and greater character than her hopefully taking charge of the department.
BERMAN: Jeffrey, you just published an opinion piece in "The New York Times." First of all, congratulations on getting up so quickly. But you basically said the President fired her. That's our reporting, because she wasn't more effective in prosecuting his perceived political enemies, you wrote, the fact that miss Bondi has failed in these abusive prosecutorial efforts is cause for relief, not dismissal, talk to us more about that.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: But, Berman, think about this. The idea that the President of the United States is using the Department of Justice, or wants to use the Department of Justice to punish and imprison his enemies, is unprecedented in American History.
Name your favorite corrupt President, Richard Nixon. Warren Harding. None of them did anything like this, but it's all but open. And remember, there was that infamous e-mail or text that he sent up to Bondi last September where he said, where are the prosecutions of James Comey, of Adam Schiff, of Letitia James? And that's what her job was. And she tried she tried, but the cases were so bad that the judges immediately rejected them.
The cases against Letitia James and James Comey have been thrown out but they're on appeal. But the idea that the President is using the Department of Justice to punish his enemies is unprecedented and is a total perversion of what the Justice Department should be about.
BERMAN: And she didn't do it well enough for him, apparently. Margaret, you represent, as we said, a number of FBI agents --
TOOBIN: And that's why, Berman, the Senate has to be really careful in looking at who comes next, because obviously, what President Trump wants from a Department of Justice is not something to protect all Americans, but to help him personally. And that's up to the Senate to see if they confirm someone like that.
BERMAN: Yes, hold that thought, because we'll get back to some of the names in just a second. But, Margaret, you represent a number of the FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors who basically been fired over the past year. Talk to us about the impact that those terminations have had on the department.
DONAVAN: Yes, absolutely, and to Jeffrey's point, that's exactly what happens when you prioritize politics over the public, which is what Bondi's DOJ has done. They have summarily fired National Security prosecutors, prosecutors that do child exploitation cases, violent crimes, narcotics, and they have fired Kash Patel, has fired FBI agents.
When we're saying that they're fired, this isn't after an investigation, this isn't given two weeks' notice to transition your cases, this is same day firings. And I can't even tell you the number of them that have occurred because of what somebody tweeted on social media. One example that I can give you, one of the best National Security prosecutors in the country is a guy named Mike Binary. He was the lead, Chief of National Security at the Eastern District of Virginia. He was fired on a tweet, on a false tweet. Bondi's DOJ fires him the same day this tweet comes out. Not bothering to check that he's actually the lead prosecutor on a major National Security case of significant importance to the American public.
[20:20:28]
So, these thoughtless firings, they endanger prosecutions, they endanger criminal investigations and the upshot of all of that is that it endangers the public. And she has prioritized politics over the public. And I agree with Jeff, the next person to take this needs to guarantee that their oath is to the constitution, not to politics, not to the President, to the constitution.
BERMAN: How quickly would it take to put this all back together in this administration or the next?
Hang on one second here.
DONAVAN: Years or decades, I mean, this is going to be a significant rebuilding phase to try to build what she has destroyed.
BERMAN: All right, Jeffrey, sorry, go ahead.
TOOBIN: Well, I was just going to say you want to talk about bad firings because I can top the ones that were just mentioned. How about Maureen Comey? Maureen Comey, one of the most accomplished prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, which is the biggest and arguably most important prosecutor's offices in the country, was fired entirely because she's James Comey's daughter. I mean, this is like a feudal system where the relatives of enemies are punished.
I mean, it is just shocking and what's punished in all of this is not just the individuals, but its society. Because these good prosecutors who stop criminals are being chased out of the system and the number of cases that are being brought. And this is something that is not sufficiently understood. The number of cases that are being brought is way down, because all the prosecutors, not all of them are many of the prosecutors are chasing undocumented immigrants who did nothing except be undocumented, but didn't commit any crimes. I mean, that shift of priority has endangered the public.
BERMAN: Just very quickly, any change under Lee Zeldin or Todd Blanche, whoever takes over, you think?
DONAVAN: Unfortunately, I don't think so. I think it needs to be a major shift and a culture change, but it is up to the line AUSA, right? There are people there are good people still in the DOJ that are holding the line and upholding their oath, and I hope that they see what happened to Attorney General Bondi. That's what happens when you follow illegal orders. You're not thanked. You don't save your job. You get fired; you get thrown aside at the end of the day. So, that's why your oath needs to be to the constitution and not a politician.
BERMAN: Margaret Donovan, Jeffrey Toobin, thank you both very much.
I do want to say we have some breaking news.
Air raid sirens going off in just the last few minutes over Tel Aviv. CNN's Jim Sciutto is there. We're going to get a report from him in just a moment.
Plus, surprising new reporting from Jim and others on Iran's missile and drone capabilities. Even now, after more than a month of this war.
And the latest on Artemis II, which just fired its main engine and started its long journey to the moon, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:27:51]
BERMAN: Right, those are air raid sirens just minutes ago in Tel Aviv. CNN's Jim Sciutto, who joins us shortly with exclusive new reporting reports seeing multiple explosions above the city.
Also tonight, President Trump praising the destruction of a bridge near Iran's capital, the first major attack on civilian infrastructure in more than a month of fighting. Iranian media reports that at least eight people were killed and dozens injured. The President posted on truth social, "The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again. Much more to follow," and in capital letters he wrote, "It is time for Iran to make a deal before it is too late. And there is nothing left of what still could become a great country." He also attached video of the bridge being destroyed.
Now, this development comes after the President's ominous warning to Iran last night during his national address.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong. Yet if during this period of time no deal is made, we have our eyes on key targets. If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: President Trump also made this statement last night about Iran's military capabilities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Their ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed, and their weapons, factories and rocket launchers are being blown to pieces. Very few of them left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: All right, let's get to CNN's Jim Sciutto. If we have him tonight through these air raids in Tel Aviv with exclusive new reporting. Jim, I understand multiple sources say that U.S. intelligence assessments have found that Iran still maintains significant missile launching capability and a lot of drones still left. As I said, you're obviously sheltering from the air raid siren, but what can you tell us about your reporting?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN, CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, we just got a little taste of Iran's continued missile capability. We're in the shelter yet again. Just a few minutes ago, we got the air raid warning, and then we heard multiple explosions over our head. Likely the interceptions or attempted interceptions of incoming fire by Israeli missile defense.
Let me tell you what sources are telling myself and my colleagues, and that is that despite close to five weeks of war, now that Iran maintains, as you said, John, significant capability, 50 percent of its launchers, 50 percent of its one way attack drones, a significant percentage of its coastal defense missiles, as well as large inventories of both medium and long range missiles, one problem were hearing is that Iran has maintained a capability to move those missiles around with mobile missile launchers and hide them underground, which has made it difficult for the U.S. and Israel to take out all of them. Despite more than 12,000 targets hit since the start of this war.
[20:30:58]
And I'll tell you, that continued capability explains what we've been experiencing quite consistently here in Tel Aviv, John, over recent days, which is consistent incoming fire from Iran. Yesterday, one of the busiest days since the start of the war. And, of course, this contradicts what you've heard from President Trump last night, but also the Pentagon.
That missile capability has been dramatically destroyed, reduced maybe, but not eliminated. And some of the sources telling us that Iran may be holding back some of those capabilities, which explains some of the reduction in fire in recent days. I should note here was the White House response to the story.
White House Spokesperson Anna Kelly saying, quote, "Anonymous sources desperately want to attack President Trump and demean the incredible work of our United States military in achieving the goals of Operation Epic Fury." We should note that this is a U.S. military assessment that has found that continuing Iranian capability.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Half of the missile launchers still intact, though some may be underground. Are they all accessible still to the Iranians?
SCIUTTO: Well, one effort that both U.S. and Israel have been attempting is to close the entrances of those underground storage areas so that Iran cannot access those missile launchers again. And they're having some success there. Some have been damaged, right?
But the idea that all of them, or the vast majority of them, have been eliminated is not matching up with U.S. military assessment. And one of the sources we spoke to said that as the President has announced that the war will continue for two to three more weeks, and I'm paraphrasing here, and there was some colorful language in this quote, but this source saying that even if you continue to hit them for two to three more weeks, it does not mean that you will eliminate that capability even during that time frame.
So that paints a difficult picture going forward, John, that even if in two or three weeks the President says we've hit a significant (technical difficulty) job, it is quite likely that even then Iran will maintain some of this ability to continue to target not just Israel, we should note, but also its Gulf allies and, crucially, U.S. military bases in the region.
BERMAN: All right, Jim Sciutto, sheltering at this point as air raid sirens go off in Tel Aviv. To you and your team, it's 3:30 a.m. there also, please stay safe. Thank you for staying alert to share this reporting with us. Appreciate it.
With us now is Congressman Jake Auchincloss, a Democrat from Massachusetts. He's a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and commanded infantry in Afghanistan. Congressman, good to see you tonight. I think you heard just Jim's reporting right there. What's your reaction to it, the idea that 50 percent, an intelligence assessment says, of Iran's missile launchers are still intact?
REP. JAKE AUCHINCLOSS (D), MASSACHUSETTS: John, good evening. Thanks for having me back on.
Iran is undeterred and China is more powerful. Russia is richer, NATO is weaker, and Americans are less safe and more isolated. This has been Operation Epic Failure and this President owns it in entirety. There have been Presidents in the past, John, that have started wars that they've had to hand off to their successors. There have been Presidents in the past that have had to end, ingloriously, wars that were not working. But Donald Trump is going to be the only President in American history to single-handedly start and lose a war.
BERMAN: Specifically this reporting, if the United States and Israel have been at this for a month and half of the missile launching capability still remains, half of the one-way drones are still intact, what does that tell you?
[20:35:01]
AUCHINCLOSS: It tells me that intelligence assessments were probably haphazard. But it also, candidly, John, is not the right question to be asking, because the nature of strategic contests right now are not about operational kinetics. It's not about can the United States blow up more stuff than its enemy. It can. I'll tell you that right now.
The question is, where are the strategic choke points in a networked economy globally? And the problem this President and this administration has is they have consistently misunderstood how to navigate a networked world. So last year, he picked a trade war with China. China won it because they were able to seize the choke point of critical minerals in a networked economy.
This year, the President picked a fight with Iran. Iran is winning it because it was able to seize the choke point of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's oil transits. And ironically, the President has also gone weak on Russia by failing to seize choke points on oil exports that would weaken Russia.
So three times now, this President has been outflanked and defeated by misunderstanding the nature of choke points in a networked world. And he's making Americans less safe and poorer because of it.
BERMAN: The President gave a speech to the nation last night on Iran. What did it clarify to you, if anything, about his objectives in this war?
AUCHINCLOSS: Nothing. The President is trying to cover his tracks on a strategic failure, claiming that there is regime change because we've replaced an 86-year-old terrorist hardliner with a 56-year-old terrorist hardliner, claiming that somehow Iran has been deterred from ballistic or nuclear power projection.
Meanwhile, he's frantically dialing 911 in the form of paratroopers and the Marine Expeditionary Units. And what Congress needs to do in the face of this strategic incompetence is prevent the deployment of ground forces on any of the islands or the shoreline around the Strait of Hormuz. Because if this President deploys these Marines or paratroopers to seize these islands, they'll take them.
But then after 15 to 30 days, they're going to need reinforcement and resupply. And we are in a boots-on-the-ground quagmire for the third time in the 21st century. The American public is exhausted by these failed forever wars. They don't want them. They want us investing here in the United States. They want us working with our allies. And instead, this President is berating NATO, making it weaker, and he's strengthening our adversaries in China, Russia and Iran.
BERMAN: Congressman Jake Auchincloss from Massachusetts on this Thursday night, we do appreciate you being with us. Thank you very much.
Ahead for us, we have more of CNN's exclusive new reporting that Iran still does have significant missile and drone capability, despite weeks of heavy U.S. and Israeli attacks. And Florida authorities released body cam video of Tiger Woods being arrested and charged with DUI after his rollover crash. What do you hear whom he apparently called from the scene?
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[20:42:16]
BERMAN: All right. CNN's exclusive new reporting tonight that despite more than a month of intense U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iranian military targets, an assessment by U.S. intelligence maintains that roughly half of Iran's missile launchers are still intact and it still has an arsenal of thousands of attack drones. That is according to multiple sources.
We're joined now by David Sanger, White House and National Security Correspondent for the New York Times, National Security Analyst Alex Plitsas and Director of the Counterterrorism Program at the Atlantic Council -- oh, that's what Alex does. Also, Meghan O'Sullivan -- the difference between a comma and a period is really important -- Meghan O'Sullivan, Professor of International Affairs at Harvard, who is a Former Deputy National Security Adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan.
Alex, I just want to start with you here on this reporting from Jim Sciutto, because we heard last night the President say that Iran's ability to launch missiles and drones has dramatically curtailed their weapons factories and rocket launchers being blown to pieces. Very few of them left.
Intelligence assessment that CNN is reporting on saying half the missile launchers are still intact, half the drones still available. How do you square that?
ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So I think, you know, we've struck 13,000 targets, according to the U.S. SOUTHCOM commander. We've got 3,000 left, about two weeks left of targeting. The launchers are important because if you've got, you know, 20,000 missiles, 10,000 missiles, whatever the combined number is between short, medium and whatever other ranges they have, if you take out the launchers, it doesn't matter at that point.
So we started this war with somewhere between 350 and 400 launchers. The Israelis had told me that they took out about two-thirds during the 12-day war. So if we do that math, it takes us somewhere between 175 and 200 launchers left. The Israelis said 120. Discrepancy is about 50 between the U.S. and the Israelis. The numbers are down significantly in terms of launches, but there's still more to be done.
BERMAN: David, in your column today, you were a really terrific column. You said President Trump has put himself in a strategic box from which he is finding no easy exit. This new intelligence assessment, again, if they have half their drones, how does that complicate things even further?
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL & NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, John, the reason that I said there's no easy exit is that if, in fact, you believe that he's going to withdraw forces in two to three weeks, which is what he said, then he's facing the possibility that he could leave Iran with the 970 pounds of highly enriched uranium still somewhere under that mountain in Isfahan, with Iran still capable, not as capable as it was, but still capable of hitting Israel and the Gulf States with drones and with missiles, as they were last night as he was speaking.
And also with the possibility that you would still have a theocratic government in place run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and that this wasn't really regime change, it was just personnel change.
[20:45:06]
And then the question is, what did we actually accomplish? In these five, six, seven weeks of war that would have unfolded by that time? I also think it keeps a little bit in the box because last night, he didn't portray to the Iranian people any positive agenda for trying to move forward with the United States, bringing up American investment, what the U.S. did with Japan and with Germany at the end of that war. There was only the threat of bombing them back into the Stone Ages, as he said.
BERMAN: Meghan, you just heard David's assessment there. So if the war ends in two to three weeks, and Iran still has all those things left, albeit a diminished level from where it started, but how would the Gulf States, their U.S. allies in the region, how would they feel about that outcome?
MEGHAN O'SULLIVAN, FMR. DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER FOR IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN: Well, this new intelligence about how much missile launching capability Iran still has, and this conversation, I think, points to the fact that this conflict is likely to last longer. Two to three weeks, perhaps, but maybe even longer. Because Iran doesn't need to have any kind of dominance militarily to continue to eke out the conflict. It just has to have enough to create uncertainty.
And having even a greatly diminished missile capacity will actually have two big strategic effects. One, it will allow Iran to continue to hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage. People need to simply wonder if, in fact, there's going to be a difficulty in crossing the strait. That will be enough to make it very hard to scale up tanker passage.
And secondly, it's going to really create pressure from Gulf States not to end the war and from the Israelis, but particularly the Gulf States. They do not want to have an angrier regime that still has capacity to use missiles to hit their facilities and their infrastructure. So I think all of this points to the fact it's going to be very hard to bring this conflict to a close in the timeframe that the President has suggested.
BERMAN: So, Alex, today the President posted video of this bridge outside Tehran, you know, this very, very high bridge, I think the longest, biggest bridge in all of Iran, being destroyed there. A piece of civilian infrastructure, obviously. What do you think the significance of this attack is, and does it signal some new phase?
PLITSAS: You know, as we transition to potential infrastructure targets, there's always a question of legality, right? But if you've got bridges that are being used to transport things, your -- you know, the law of armed conflict, as folks will look into the legalities of this, there is an opportunity to do that. But we haven't really been striking targets like that, to your point.
I think the message was clear. I did hear from some Iranian officials today, and folks that we're in touch with, that there were -- you know, there was aggravation over moving towards civilian targets, that they would claim to be civilian. I think the U.S. would say that this was a valid military target for those reasons.
We still have, as you mentioned, you know, the previous question, we still have additional, you know, drones and missiles that need to be taken out. So I think it was largely symbolic as well, telling the regime, like, now we're going to start moving towards other targets of that nature, because they haven't been responding as the President is, I think, increasing the pressure on them to come to the table for a deal.
BERMAN: David, in terms of the NATO allies, we heard from French President Emmanuel Macron today, and I want to play this soundbite and get your take. Listen.
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EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translation): We want to be serious. We don't say each day the opposite of what we said the day before. Perhaps, we don't need to speak every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: So he doesn't mention President Trump by name there, but it's pretty clear who he's talking about. So -- SANGER: Yes.
BERMAN: -- what does that tell you about his level of frustration?
SANGER: Well, we've heard the frustration from him. We've heard it from Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister in Britain, who declared yesterday, this is not our war, and we can't get sucked into it. Even while he was discussing what they might do to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. You've heard some of this from Friedrich Merz, the Chancellor of Germany. And so I think the more you hear these, the more you're going to hear from President Trump that he is done with NATO now. NATO was there as a defensive organization, and I'm not sure that his anger at them is fully understandable, given the fact he didn't bring them in for consult with them on the way into the war.
But the frustration that he has now that we are in this confrontation, that they are not participating in keeping the strait open, they may in the future, but they don't seem to be moving very fast in that direction, I think is creating the split that will effectively hollow out NATO, even if the President does not withdraw the United States from membership, which he can't do under congressional legislation.
[20:50:06]
BERMAN: Look, that's a bleak forecast. Meghan, you also heard David's assessment, which is obviously the entire intelligence community and sources from around the world. Iran still maintains some 900 pounds of enriched uranium, nuclear material. The President told Reuters yesterday that it's buried underground near Isfahan.
It's so far underground, I don't care about that, he said. And he indicated last night in his speech that the United States is just going to keep an eye on it by satellite. Again, if the war ends in two to three weeks or longer, which it might, you said, and the uranium is still there, would that be a mistake for the United States?
O'SULLIVAN: I think in order for this war to be able to be portrayed and legitimately to be counted as a success, two things have to happen that are different from today. The first is a free passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which we just talked about. The second is some kind of international aggressive verification program for Iran's nuclear facilities overall, and that would also include these 400 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium.
So the idea that it's not accessible and therefore it is not something that the wider world needs to worry about, I think, is not going to be credible. In the nuclear nonproliferation community, you certainly have the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, saying it is possible to create a regime, it's possible to create a verification mechanism, but there needs to be some kind of diplomatic solution, some kind of agreement.
It may not be some grand bargain that people are hoping for at some point in time, but there has to be some kind of international understanding. I don't think it's going to be possible to end this war by saying that actually doesn't matter and that the Strait will open itself.
BERMAN: Meghan O'Sullivan, David Sanger, Alex Plitsas, thank you all very much.
And you can find out much more on the exclusive new CNN reporting on Iran's remaining missile and drone capabilities from Haley Britzky, Natasha Bertrand, and Jim Sciutto and Tal Shalev throughout the night and over the weekend at CNN.com.
Still ahead, police body cam footage of Tiger Woods, his DUI arrest, and also the phone call he made in whom he said it was to the highest authority.
Plus, Artemis now headed for the moon and getting there way faster than the start of its historic journey.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roger, roll pitch.
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[20:56:45]
BERMAN: So just before we came on the air, we learned that the Artemis II moon mission is now, in fact, headed for the moon. Let's get to CNN's Ed Lavandera, who is in Houston, for what happened and what's next. So Ed, I want to choose my words carefully here so I get this right. Can you explain what a translunar injection burn is and why it's so important?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Of course, John. So this is the last burn that it gives the Orion capsule, that boost that it needs to break away from the Earth's gravitational pull. And all of this has been timed, math and physics all at play here, to fire off that burn at just the right time that then has this capsule break away from the Earth's atmosphere, and it is now moving toward the moon.
And if you did nothing else for the next nine days, the capsule would follow this path where it goes and will pass the moon and then circle around it and then make its way back to Earth without any other burns or any other help from any kind of engine. So the timing of all of this was exquisite. Everything appears to have gone off without a hitch.
And in four days, this is a crew that will be passing on the far side of the moon. So they've got some time, and -- but it appears to have all gone off very well this evening.
BERMAN: It really is remarkable. I'm so glad that other people study the math and physics so I don't have to, so they can get it right there.
LAVANDERA: Yes.
BERMAN: What's next? What's next for the crew as they take this ride to the moon?
LAVANDERA: Well, as I mentioned, you know, they've got four days, so there's a lot of time for them to do what they need to do. And of course, remember, this is a test mission, so they are in the process of making sure that all of the systems work properly, working out any kinks. They're troubleshooting things, so there's plenty of time for -- and work that they have to do to test all of those systems.
We do know that, obviously, this isn't all work. Jeremy Hansen, the Canadian astronaut, was heard talking to Mission Control saying that the astronauts have been glued to the windows, taking pictures. I think that we've seen some of those starting to emerge of the crescent along the moon, you know, they're in the middle of it now.
They are doing something, John, and I don't think we can say this enough. They are doing something that has not been done since 1972. These are the first humans that will circumnavigate the moon in that amount of time. So, you know, they're juggling all of these emotions of what they're witnessing out of that capsule and then also making sure that they're getting all the work done so that future missions can follow in their footsteps.
BERMAN: Yes, enjoying the view while getting that work done at the same time. Ed Lavandera, thank you so much for explaining that all so well. Great assignment for you down there in Houston.
And finally tonight, new police video of Tiger Woods in the moments leading up to his DUI arrest last week. In it, you see sheriff's deputies performing a field sobriety test before taking him into custody, but it's what happened shortly before that that really is eye-opening. Woods made a phone call.
That in itself is not unusual, but what is out of the ordinary for someone in his situation is who he says he was calling.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Woods? Get you to hang out down here with us, please.
TIGER WOODS, 82-TIME PGA TOUR WINNER: Thank you so much. All right. You guys (INAUDIBLE).
Say it again?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just keep you down here with us, please.
WOODS: Yes, I was just talking to the President.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: In case you didn't hear that, he said, yes, I was just talking to the President. CNN has reached out to the White House about whether there's actually a President on the other end of the line. We are still waiting for their answer.
That is all for us tonight. I'll see you back here tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. for CNN News Central. The Source with Kaitlan Collins starts now.
