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Trump Vows to Finish Iran War as Disapproval Grows Among Americans; Trump Slams U.S. Allies, Threatens Again to Pull Out of NATO; Now, Astronauts Wake Up for Special Orbit Maneuver. Aired 7- 7:30a ET

Aired April 02, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Oil prices are climbing, stocks are slipping after the president's speech and threat to return Iran to the stone ages. Why Britain is now hosting a summit on how to re-secure the critical oil waterway in the Strait of Hormuz.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: The doctor accused of trying to murder his wife on a birthday hike in Hawaii takes the stand. He says he was just acting in self-defense a day after his son testified that his father confessed to the attempted murder.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And beer on the lam, a Bud Light truck stolen and on the run, how the chase ended and who picked up the tab.

I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan and Sara Sinder. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: So, there were new strikes in the Middle East this morning, and oil prices are surging again after President Trump threatened to ramp up rather than whine things down with Iran, leaving everyone in the U.S. and around the world listening, watching, and wondering, still this morning, after his big address to the nation, how and when is this war going to end?

Facing poll numbers that show that he has so far failed to win over the public to his war effort, the president tried in his remarks to sell the operation to the American people. He touted the U.S. mission as a success and claimed that all of objectives have nearly been achieved, but gave no exit strategy.

Here's part of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We are going to finish the job and we're going to finish it very fast. We're getting very close.

Everyone is talking about it, and tonight, I'm pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion.

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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: He downplayed the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz once again, that critical oil shipping route that Iran has effectively paralyzed and shut down after the war began. The president essentially said that the strait is not a U.S. problem, once again pushed America's allies to take the lead there.

That did little to calm the energy markets, quite the opposite, actually. The U.S. benchmark for oil is above a $100 a barrel, rising more than 7 percent in early trading, and stock futures are down across the board.

Also, this morning, U.S. Central Command just released a new video about strikes and CENTCOM's commander said this in releasing this video. He wrote, now in our fifth week of the campaign, it is my operational assessment that we are making undeniable progress. We don't see their navy sailing, we don't see their aircraft flying, and their air and missile defense systems have largely been destroyed.

CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House for us to start us off this morning. And the White House is waking up to what reality this morning after the president's big speech last night.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, I think for a lot of people who were watching that speech last night, if they had been following, Kate, what the president has been saying, really, throughout the past 32 days or so of this war, they didn't learn anything new. We didn't hear really anything new from the president. Instead, he kind of said much of what we've heard all along, this idea of trying to tout the successes of the military operations thus far, and also insist that this war will be over soon.

But I will tell you, I know from my conversations with White House officials in the lead up to that speech, what they wanted him to do was make sure that the Americans who maybe don't typically tune in were tuning in last night. That's part of why they framed this as an address to the nation. And what you heard the president do was essentially, I think, the biggest part of this was trying to justify the war with Iran, tried to explain why the United States is there. He made many sweeping different proclamations at different points, you know, saying that this is for -- this is an investment in your children and your grandchildren's future.

But he also tried to address something that they know many Americans are very concerned about, particularly the longer this war goes on, this idea that the United States could be engaged in a prolonged conflict in the Middle East.

[07:05:07]

He tried to say that, you know, the war will be over soon, it's nearing completion, but he did not offer any specifics.

And what I was watching for when I was watching the president's speech last night, Kate, was to see if he would even bring up something we know that many people throughout the administration, in the military, are considering very closely, this idea of sending ground troops in Iran. He did not address that at all.

The other notable thing I took away was his remarks on the Strait of Hormuz. We have been reporting that because the strait has become such a problem, my conversations with intelligence officials, they say it is a problem without an easy solution. The president may be willing to end this war without reopening it, of course, something that is a high concern to all of the people who are watching those oil prices tick even higher this morning. I want you to listen to what he said though.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Number one, buy oil from the United States of America. We have plenty. We have so much. And number two, build up some delayed courage, should have done it before, should have done it with us, as we asked. Go to the strait and just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, as you heard there, Kate, the president telling U.S. allies, specifically, I think, referencing NATO allies of the United States, to just go in and take the oil themselves. This is in keeping with him really trying to put, you know, the responsibility of reopening the strait at their feet. And so, again, something that I think did not go far with a lot of allies who were maybe hoping to hear something different from him last night.

All to say though, this was really, I think in its totality a sell to the American people at a time when many people in that building behind me recognize that their patience is wearing thin.

BOLDUAN: Great point. It's good to see you, Alayna. Thank you so much for starting us off this morning. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. I'm going to pick it up where she left it off because the president demanded that U.S. allies take the lead on pushing Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. He's also continuing to slam NATO, accusing allies of treating the U.S. very badly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We've had some very bad allies in NATO.

And, you know, we spend trillions of dollars on NATO, and when we need them, which we never do. We didn't need them here either. To be honest, I was really asking because I wanted to see what they'd do. We didn't need them. We blasted the hell out of them out of Iran. And the last thing I needed was NATO stepping in our way, because they're not. They're a paper tiger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Well, he certainly asked for their help. The NATO secretary general is set to visit President Trump in Washington next week. The two will meet as the president once again threatens to pull out of NATO.

CNN's Clare Sebastian is joining us now. I mean, look, there's a lot of different messaging here, but over the years he has talked about NATO, and now it seems this is his latest reasoning or excuse to try to pull out of NATO. Are NATO allies seeing this as a real threat now?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, I think they have to, even though, of course, as you noted, Sara, they've been around this merry- go-round before, but now we have not just Trump, but of course Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, talking about this. So, I think they are taking this seriously.

But there is a recognition, of course, that if they engage in some kind of war of words with the U.S. president over this, it only further weakens whatever remains of the appearance of NATO unity. And President Macron of France, who's on a visit to South Korea at the moment, just talked about this recently in the last few moments saying, look, if you -- every day you sort of create doubt around your commitment, this isn't a direct quote. You basically undermine the alliance. So, that is certainly a concern for these countries.

But, obviously, the war in Iran and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz have created crises that are frankly more urgent for these countries. The economic shocks are already being felt. And this is why we see not only perhaps a small effort to placate Trump by showing their commitment, but we see countries, 35 countries convening today in a virtual meeting. It gets underway this hour hosted by the U.K. to try to come up with diplomatic and political ways to end the deadlock of the Strait of Hormuz and mitigate these economic consequences.

They are having to really pull together in case, of course, as the Trump administration has threatened, they'd pull out of this war and leave the Strait of Hormuz still closed. So, the economic consequences already being felt, the political consequences in terms of the undermining of NATO.

And, of course, the longer this goes on, the more Russia reaps the benefits. Take a look at this post just in the last couple of hours from the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, saying the threat of NATO's breakup, easing sanctions on Russia, a massive energy crisis in Europe, halting aid for Ukraine, and blocking the loan for Kyiv by Orban, who's, of course, the Hungarian prime minister, it all looks like, he says, Putin's dream plan. So, here, you have the extraordinary bind that Europe finds itself in.

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SIDNER: Yes. Another of Putin's dream is that the United States gets out of NATO. We'll see what happens here. But taking Trump seriously, you're saying the NATO allies are looking at what to do if that happens.

Thank you so much. I do appreciate it, Clear Sebastian, for your reporting there from London for us. John? BERMAN: All right. On the way to the moon, dodging problems with Uranus, the toilet issue on Artemis II, as the astronauts just received their wake up call.

And we are standing by for new data on jobs with renewed concerns on the economy.

And a fiery crash at a toll booth, the governor even steps in to helping the rescue. The victim, a comedian known for his work on Bob's Burgers.

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BERMAN: That, of course, was the launch last night. And just moments ago, the astronauts on Artemis II received their wake up call, really their wake up music after their first night in space. This morning, the astronauts will perform maneuver to allow their capsule to break free of low Earth orbit and head toward the moon. The big news overnight involved the toilet.

Let's get right to CNN's Randi Kaye at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. I already made one Uranus joke, which is a legal limit, Randi. So, bring us up to speed on how they fixed this problem.

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I heard that, John. So, there are a lot of things that could have gone wrong with this launch. I mean, if the toilet had to go wrong, then let it be that, right? So, they did work on it overnight with the crew and they were able to fix it. In fact, they got the go ahead that they were told they could. The toilet was good to go all night.

So, that is one of the things that they're doing as they circle the Earth for the first 24 hours or so. They have to check the communications of this Orion capsule. They have to make sure that it's up to snuff and that it's work in working order, including the toilets, including the life support systems, and including the communications. This is the first time humans have been in the Orion capsule, so it's really important that they make sure that it works properly.

So, they are awake now. They woke up to some music. Then they're going to do this purging (ph) burn at some point, and that is going to set them on the path to the moon. That is going to set them on the path to this figure eight trajectory towards the moon later today, about the 26-hour mark, about 8:00, 8:30 tonight, they're expected to begin that trans lunar injection, which is really going to set them on that path.

Now, we do have some video of them tinkering around in the Orion capsule. It's interesting because Jeremy Hansen, who is the mission specialist on there from Canada, he's 6'2", and he's never been to space and he was worried about learning to float and how that was going to go with his -- the rest of the crew. So, it's really interesting to see them up there.

We also heard already from Commander Reid Wiseman. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REID WISEMAN, ARTEMMIS II COMMANDER: It's an amazing ride uphill. The views -- we've got two moon rises that we've had so far and the views of Planet Earth. We've circled it completely and we forgot how beautiful it is to look down on Earth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: So, incredibly amazing. And they're also learning to manually pilot the Orion capsule as well while they're there.

And just one other note, John, they did bring some memorabilia aboard with them and they brought with them some fabric from the right flyer. They brought an American flag from the first space shuttle mission, as well as a negative from the photo captured by the Ranger 7 Mission and some soil samples from moon trees.

So, this is already starting out to be quite an adventure for them and we'll see where it goes for the rest of the day. John?

BERMAN: Yes. It's so interesting because every step of the way are things that we haven't done for more than 50 years, so it's just so exciting to see as they head toward the moon.

Randi Kaye at the Kennedy Space Center, thank you so much for all that. Kate? I had to do it. I mean, it was there. It was there like begging for it.

BOLDUAN: It's great that an adult finally answered the chat with Randi Kaye. Thank you, Randi. Thank you.

BERMAN: I heard you say that. I know that's what she said. I heard that.

BOLDUAN: She's like, John, we'll talk about it later.

Let's also talk about this. Still ahead, a $2 million iPhone heist. How the two suspects conned FedEx workers. We've got more on that.

And take a look at this, that is not the surface of the moon. That is what it looks like in Greece in the midst of a dust storm.

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[07:20:00]

BOLDUAN: Do not expect to see Tiger Woods at the Ryder Cup, bowing out as captain of the U.S. men's team, of course, after his car crash and DUI arrest last week.

Let's get to CNN's Andy Scholes for much more on this. What are you learning, Andy?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. Good morning, Kate. So, you know, when we see Tiger Woods at a competitive event again is really anybody's guess at this point, but he will not be the captain for the U.S. Men's Ryder Cup team in 2027. The PGA of America putting out a statement that said Tiger shared with them, that he had made the decision that he's not going to lead the team. Tiger is also heading abroad to seek treatment. A Florida judge on Wednesday granted his request to travel outside the U.S. and enter a comprehensive inpatient treatment facility.

Tiger's attorney had made the motion for privacy reasons. On Tuesday in his statement, Tiger had said he was stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on his health.

All right, elsewhere, the San Jose Sharks badly needing wins to keep their playoff hopes alive, but wasn't looking good last night against the Ducks. They were down a goal with under two minutes to go, but Macklin Celebrini would score here is 40th of the season. That tied the game at three. Then with 30 seconds left in the game, Celebrini to Alexander Wennberg, San Jose scores again, two goals in under two minutes, win it for the Sharks 4-3. They remain one point back with the Kings for that final playoff spot in the west.

In baseball, we had our first ever walk-off ABS challenge yesterday. So, the rangers were down to their last strike. Umpire Manny Gonzalez is going to call this a ball. Orioles Catcher Samuel Basallo though thought it was a strike and challenged it, and he was right.

[07:25:02]

So, it is a strikeout, game over.

Now, the game wasn't close. Baltimore won 8-3. But get ready. This is going to happen in a one-run game with the bases loaded at some point.

All right, the NBA meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama just continuing his MVP push against the Warriors last night win. He's just towering over Golden State in this game. So, the Warriors started Draymond Green at center. He is a foot shorter than Wemby. So, that is clearly not going to work. Wembanyama ended up with 41 points, 18 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. The Spurs win their tenth in a row, 127 to 113. They remain two backers with Thunder for the west top spot with sixth games left to go in the season.

And finally, this Wizards fan got the chance to shoot a half court shot, $10,000. We had to do it blindfolded. It wasn't even close. But as an April Fools prank, the mascots and hosts go crazy, saying that he made it, they give him a big check. They then showed him the video that he actually missed. Kind of a mean joke, they did give him a signed jersey and some court side seats for next season.

But, Kate, you know, anytime someone wants you to go blindfolded for something on April 1st, I think you maybe want to think twice about doing it.

BOLDUAN: No. You say yes. You say yes. And all good April Fools jokes are mean ones. Sorry, but that's just the way it works. Ask my children what they did to me.

SIDNER: I was going to say --

BOLDUAN: just ask the girls. We won't go into details.

SCHOLES: But don't leave us hanging. What did they do?

BOLDUAN: One ran into the room, mom, the other is really, really sick, got sick in the bathroom, ran over to the bathroom. There was a whole mess in the toilet, but they had just used clay, tomatoes and some other stuff and like, really?

SIDNER: Did you have to clean that anyway?

SCHOLES: This whole show is about toilets today, either in space or now, or your house.

SIDNER: Potty humor is number one on CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: We'll do this for three hours, because you know you want that as you wake up this morning.

Andy Scholes bringing it together for us.

SIDNER: John Berman starting us off, of course.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, J.B.

SIDNER: Good times.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, J.B.

SIDNER: Coming up, President Trump says Iran is no longer a threat, but then vow to hit Tehran hard over the next few weeks. The markets reacted almost immediately. Where is the economy headed now?

And a new COVID variant is making its way across the country and doctor's a warning it is particularly contagious. Who is most at risk?

Those stories and more ahead.

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