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Iran Rejects Temporary Ceasefire; Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) is Interviewed about Iran; Poll Numbers for Democrats; RSV Surge Prompts Extended Immunization Period; Bob McNally is Interviewed about Oil. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired April 06, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:31:24]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Today, President Trump is expected to detail the rescue of an American airmen whose aircraft was blown out of the sky over Iran. He's also expected to take reporters' questions afterwards. And there are many. Why the expletive filled social media posts on Iran? Will he stick to his deadline of 8 p.m. tomorrow for creating, as he put it, hell on earth, if Iran doesn't open the Strait of Hormuz? And what's happening with ceasefire negotiations?

CNN's Alayna Treene is with me now.

What are you learning this morning, I hear, some new information about the talks that are ongoing?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're getting some new details, Sara, on some of this from our colleagues Kevin Liptak and -- Kevin Liptak and Eileen (ph). And what I will say is that we're learning more about this ceasefire and potential to see whether or not there could be a deal by -- before the deadline tomorrow that the president has set. I should note, he actually extended that. It was supposed to be this evening. He then appeared to extend it until 8 p.m. tomorrow. But to see if these potential talks could at least be staved off for the time being because as we heard from the president particularly in that expletive laden post that he shared yesterday, really threatening to bomb Iran, saying that he would go after infrastructure and energy sites as well if they do not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by that 8 p.m. deadline tomorrow.

So, what we're learning is really the countries who we know have been crucial negotiators throughout this entire process, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, they're among those who have been pounding out a 45-day ceasefire to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and, again, try to buy some time before we could see the United States military really escalate their attacks on these different infrastructure sites.

Now, the plan, we're told, was sent to the U.S. and Iran late Sunday and is viewed as a last-ditch effort to try and see if they can find an off ramp to this war, again, even if it is only temporary. Now, we have also heard from the Iranians, say that they said that

they would reject outright this idea of a temporary ceasefire. But, of course, throughout this entire process there's a lot we've been hearing publicly, not only from the Iranians but also from the Trump administration while things are happening, of course, privately behind the scenes.

I will say, we did hear from a White House official. They did confirm that this potential 45-day ceasefire is just one, they said, of many options that the White House is considering as they look ahead to how they want to proceed. But, you know, based on this deadline that the president has set for tomorrow.

All to say, we are going to hear from President Trump at 1 p.m. today. As you mentioned, a lot of this is going to be him celebrating the rescue of those pilots from the downed F-15 fighter jet on Friday. But also, I think, hopefully we'll hear a lot more and maybe even get some clarity, we'll have to see, on what these negotiations actually look like, if he believes there is a real, substantial chance that we could see some sort of temporary agreement that could stave off further attacks and also get more clarity on whether or not the timeline that he's laid out -- he recently said last week he expects this war to be ended in two to three weeks, whether or not that's still the case today.

SIDNER: Yes, there are a lot of questions that I know will be asked during that press conference.

Alayna Treene, thank you so much for your reporting this morning.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And joining us right now is Democratic Congressman Adam Smith of Washington. He's the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.

Congressman, thanks for coming in.

What do you think of that question? I mean do you believe that there is a chance that these last ditch talks could lead to a ceasefire?

REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): I mean, there's a chance. There's no particular chance that it's going to lead to some meaningful accomplishment for us. But stopping the fighting would be a good step.

[08:35:02]

But what President Trump wants and what Iran wants are just diametrically opposed at this point. Iran's not offering any concessions that we can see. I mean the things that supposedly we went into this war to accomplish, which was to stop Iran's support for terrorist groups, stop their nuclear program, stop their ballistic missile program, Iran's not even talking about. They're talking about us paying them to repair damage from the war.

So, the two sides are a long way apart. Seems unlikely. But on the other hand, neither side is benefiting from the conflict. So, there are incentives to try and stop this. It's just a path to what that agreement is does not appear clear at the moment.

BOLDUAN: And there is also a question of just approach and how to get the means to the ends, right? Today is the end of a ten-day deadline that Trump had set, had given Iran last month to make a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz. Sunday he extended that deadline until Tuesday, tomorrow. And you have this kind of -- the threat being, open the Strait or agree to open the Strait or he's going to take out. The way he said is, there won't be any power plants and they won't have any bridges left standing if no deal.

What do you think of his threat this time?

SMITH: Yes. Look, Trump's leadership throughout this war has been utterly disastrous. I mean I think the war was a bad idea in the first place, but he's done absolutely everything to alienate our allies, alienate our partners, drive people away from us. He's bounced all over the place on what the goal of the war was. He set these deadlines and reset the deadlines and moved them all over the place, speaking often and in very incoherent fashion. So, it really confuses the whole situation.

And these threats mean, look, the United States of America is not supposed to go around bombing civilians, at least not the United States of America that I want to represent. I don't know what Trump's vision of that is. But even beyond the sheer violence and just the immorality of threatening to bomb, much less actually bombing civilian targets, what is it going to accomplish? You know, all it's going to accomplish is it's going to harden the resolve of the regime and strengthen them.

The Iranian people will now see this as a war against them and as the regime being the only thing that is standing between them and our bombs. It is the exact opposite of what we said, not just under Trump, but for years, and that is, we support the Iranian people, we oppose the regime. The Iranian people are not responsible for what the Islamic Republic is doing. And now Donald Trump's rhetoric throughout this war has kind of said the exact opposite, that we are at war with all of Iran.

So, these threats are deadly wrong, immoral, but also strategically stupid in terms of the long-term goals that we should be trying to accomplish.

BOLDUAN: And add to that some -- many would argue that such attacks on power plants and bridges and civilian infrastructure, if you will, would constitute war crimes. But "The Wall Street Journal" had some interesting reporting that top aides to the president have actually privately been making the case to him that Iran's power generating facilities and bridges are legitimate military targets because it would cripple the country's missile and nuclear program.

Here's how they described it. "Among those who have briefed the president on the legal rationale to hit civilian targets is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who advised Trump that roadways could be struck because Iran's military could use them to move missiles and materials for making drones. A White House official added that electric plants are legitimate military targets because destroying them could foment civil unrest, complicating Tehran's path to a nuclear device."

Do you see that?

SMITH: Yes, that is truly frightening. I'll try to keep this answer short because I know we don't have that much time, but there's a lot in there.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

SMITH: Look, it is true that in some cases power plants, bridges, what you would think of as civilian infrastructure can be legitimate military targets if they are directly linked to the military. You know, some bridges are at military bases. Some power plants power military bases. But the idea that because any road, any bridge, any power plant could conceivably be connected to a ballistic missile program, that makes it a legitimate target is insane. And this also points up the fact that Secretary Hegseth really doesn't care about civilian casualties.

And look, and I know there's this myth amongst a lot of people that the only reason we ever lost a war is because we weren't willing to kill enough people. And if we were just tougher, everything would be fine. That is, a, completely wrong from a military strategic standpoint, but, b, contrary to what the United States of America is supposed to be about. I mean Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, all these people spent all this time talking about we're the United States of America, the greatest country in the history of the world, the shining city on the hill and all of that. And back in World War II, when the Germans were desperate to surrender to Americans instead of Russians because we were that it was something that we could be proud of.

[08:40:00]

But to listen to Hegseth and Trump talk about how much they enjoy killing people, to turn it into memes and video games, social and that stuff? OK, you like that, that's fine, but please shut up about the United States of America being some kind of exemplar of how people are supposed to act. I really want people to understand that this is gutting our country's credibility in the world at a time when we are in a global economy. We need other people more now than we ever have, and we are isolating ourselves with every one of these stupid tweets and stupid memes that Hegseth and Trump send out. Can we please stand up and condemn that for the sake of who we are supposed to be as a country?

BOLDUAN: Congressman Adam Smith, thanks for your time.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Great discussion there.

So, in the latest CNN poll it showed that Democrats have a six-point lead in the race for Congress. And there are two ways to look at that, a six-point lead. One, and say, hey, the Democrats are ahead there. Democrats should feel good about that. The other way to look at it is to say, for Democrats, is six-points really enough?

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is here.

And that's the way that I think a lot of people are beginning to question this, given the political winds and whatnot, is six points really a big enough lead for Democrats?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Well, I would say this, Mr. Berman, and that is that this lead is historically low for Democrats at this point with a Republican president. Because take a look here, and I'm taking a look at the average of all the polls. Dem generic congressional ballot lead at this point in the cycle with a Republican president. On average, their leads actually slightly less. It's five points. That's less than it was back in 2018 when it was eight points and way less than it was during the 2006 cycle when it was 11 points.

So, yes, Democrats are ahead, but they're only ahead by five with a president whose net approval rating is bordering on minus 20 to minus 30, depending on what polls you look at. You'd make the argument, Democrats should be way ahead, and they're just only sort of slightly ahead.

BERMAN: Now, to be clear, five points might be enough for them to retake the House, which is really a narrow margin. It would not take much at all for Democrats to get this.

ENTEN: Yes, a little, whoo, would blow it in.

BERMAN: The Senate is a different matter.

ENTEN: Yes. Yes. The Senate is a different matter. You -- I think five points is enough to take back the House. But in the Senate, five points is almost certainly not enough if you apply it to the Senate map.

Why do I say that? Because let's just take a look. GOP would win the Senate with this map. Let's say Republicans only hold on to the states that Trump won by greater than ten points. That would, in fact, give them the Senate 51 to 49. Why? Because what you would see is, you would see that the Democrats would flip North Carolina, they would flip Maine, but Republicans would hold on to Ohio, they'd hold on to Texas, and they'd hold on to Alaska, because Donald Trump won all of those states by greater than ten points. And I will note, John and I were talking we talking, you have the NCAA tournament going on. This is sort of the chalk scenario going on, where the most obvious events actually do occur. Because take a look, during the Trump era, look at this, flip the Senate seat, midterm and presidential years, states the other party won by ten plus points in the last presidential election, zero, zero, zero times did a party flip those states. So, we're talking about places like Texas, Alaska, Ohio, where Trump won by double digits.

BERMAN: Which is why the Democrats might need a bigger lead than they have now if the Senate is really in play.

What else is going on now for the Democrats that maybe should cause them concern?

ENTEN: What might cause them concern? Why is that generic congressional ballot lead so low? Because just take a look at this, net favorability. Party ahead at this point. Midterm years with a GOP president. In 2018, Dems were up by 12. In 2006, on net favorability, which part do you like more? Dems are ahead by 18. Republicans are actually ahead on net favorability at this point by five points. So, Democrats are just, simply put, running behind their previous benchmarks and they need to be running well ahead of them if they want to take back the United States Senate given that map.

BERMAN: To be clear, both parties are wildly unfavorable right now.

ENTEN: Correct.

BERMAN: However --

ENTEN: Democrats are even more unpopular than Republicans.

BERMAN: Right. Some of these charts are something Democrats should look at as they head into November. Harry Enten, thank you very much.

ENTEN: Thank you, Mr. Berman.

SIDNER: All right, gentlemen, thank you.

New this morning, RSV is still surging across the United States, even as typical cold and flu season is winding down. Viral activity for the respiratory illness is continuing later into the spring than usual. And that's prompting many states to take some action.

Joining me now, CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard.

Give us some sense of what states are doing about this, because this is quite distressing. It often affects children.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: That's right, Sara. Yes, this is concerning. But what we're seeing happening, nearly all states are extending the time period for when infants and young toddlers can get RSV immunizations because we are seeing these high rates of RSV out there right now.

So, take a look at this map. You'll see these states, again, nearly all states are extending the time period for which RSV immunizations can be administered.

[08:45:09]

Typically, immunizations are recommended through the end of March. But with these extensions, they're now being extended into April.

And just to put in perspective how much more RSV activity we're seeing out there this time of year, in the third week of March, when people showed up at clinics with respiratory symptoms and they got tested, in that third week of March, more than seven percent of people with symptoms tested positive for RSV, and that's higher than the five percent we saw during that same week last year. So, that's how much more RSV we're seeing out there right now. It's still not clear why RSV is still spreading now that we're in the month of April. But again, Sara, it's something health officials are keeping a close eye on.

SIDNER: And because, as we talked earlier, that this does affect children, what are some of the symptoms that parents need to be looking out for? Because things can be confused for, oh, someone just has a cold or what should they be looking for?

HOWARD: That's right. And usually they are cold-like symptoms. So, you'll typically see runny nose, cough, fever, wheezing. But in young toddlers and especially in babies, breathing difficulties is usually a telltale sign that it's RSV. And again, it is recommended to get immunizations. Two options are available. One, women can get RSV immunizations during pregnancy, and that protection is passed to the baby. Two, infants can receive a monoclonal antibody immunization. So, those are the two options that are out there, Sara.

SIDNER: Really helpful but upsetting to hear that this is still on the rise at a time when we're usually seeing the numbers trend down.

HOWARD: It's still out there.

SIDNER: Thank you so much, Jacqueline Howard, for your reporting. Appreciate it.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: A man's murder conviction overturned after he spent more than four decades behind bars. Before he could walk free, he's detained by ICE. And there's more twists to his story. That's coming up next.

Plus, a puppy rescue after getting stuck in the chimney of an abandoned home, and how he's doing this morning

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[08:51:10]

SIDNER: This morning, oil prices dropped a little bit. Still, though, they remain high after President Trump threatened to strike Iranian power plants and bridges if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened by his latest deadline. Sunday, eight OPEC Plus countries agreed to boost their oil production slightly starting next month. They warned, though, they -- that repairing energy infrastructure damaged in the war is costly and takes a long time, underlining the long term potential disruption to energy supply.

Gas prices edged higher once again this morning. Now it has been -- it is now at $4.12 a gallon. They are now up 38 cents since the Iran War began.

Even if oil prices start to fall, it could take weeks for prices at the pump to follow suit.

Joining me now is Bob McNally, founder and president of the Rapidan Energy Group.

Thank you so much for being here.

First to this discussion and this move by OPEC nations to go ahead and produce more oil. What might this mean for the potential of lower prices for gas and diesel? Will we see anything like that because of their move?

BOB MCNALLY, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, RAPIDAN ENERGY GROUP: Hi, Sara.

Not much, unfortunately. Those eight subset of OPEC Plus, it's actually eight countries, they said, look, we're going to increase by 206,000 barrels a day. That's a drop in the bucket. The problem is, even that drop can't come to market because the countries that could actually increase production, Saudi Arabia and UAE mainly, are blocked. The Strait of Hormuz is blocked. So, that is more of a symbolic step, I think.

The real important, helpful step, the one silver lining on this cloud has been Saudi Arabia heroically has increased the amount of oil it's diverted from the Persian Gulf over to the Red Sea. That's the only major outlet that's working. So, that's still functioning. But this OPEC Plus decision yesterday was a bit more symbolic.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you about that move by Saudi Arabia to use the Red Sea. At what cost? I mean give us some sense of how different it is for them to not be able to use the Strait of Hormuz and instead have to move their operations up to the Red Sea.

MCNALLY: Well, it -- you know, their exports were about seven million barrels a day or more. You know, now that's cut into significantly by half or so. It's a loss for them. It's a bigger loss for UAE, Kuwait, Iraq. Iraq, we'll see. Iran has said it may allow Iraq to resume exports, but that would take a long time. So, it's a setback.

But Saudi Arabia was able to increase its exports through Yanbu by almost four million barrels a day. And that's not nothing. That helps. Unfortunately, we still have lost about 13 to 15 million barrels a day through Hormuz of both crude and product. So, it's still too big of a problem for even the Saudi heroic effort here to fix.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you about a ceasefire deal. There's a ceasefire deal being worked on as we speak, according to our reporters. If that were to, by some miracle, get done today and the Strait of Hormuz got opened today, how long would it take to sort of get things back to normal and start seeing prices for consumers of gas and diesel see some relief?

MCNALLY: Well, I think it would take a few months to get all those fields and those facilities, and then the boats working to start moving that crude over. We'd be very fortunate in that scenario because so far we've avoided long-term infrastructure damage. So, we'd be very lucky if it ended today. [08:55:01]

And, you know, the thing about prices, Sara, is, they will move faster. They will fall faster than it takes that oil to come back because investors and traders will price in the recovery. So, we may have to go higher still in the near term for a few weeks, but then I think oil prices would start to come down even before were back to full recovery as the market digested that positive news.

SIDNER: Yes, it's interesting how things work. And the public learning, once again, just the importance of this Strait that does, what, a fifth of the -- of the world's oil.

Bob McNally, thank you so much. I do appreciate your insight in this.

John.

BERMAN: This morning, new video from Seattle shows a man trying to push a stranger in front of a moving light rail train. You can see it happening right there as the train pulls in. The suspect suddenly pushes the guy. You can see, obviously, he didn't make it, which is good news. The suspect ran off. The victim appeared to chase him. The suspect was arraigned last week and is charged with attempted murder.

A small plane landed on a Pennsylvania highway. One driver said the plane suddenly just appeared overhead. Officials say there were two people on board. No one was injured. I think it is nice that he stayed in the right-hand lane and kept the passing lane open. The highway was closed for about three and a half hours and the plane, ultimately undamaged.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Makes it look quite easy.

BERMAN: I mean, right? It actually looks incredibly calm and natural, the whole thing.

BOLDUAN: Quite easy. I know. It's like, and then the plane landed, but it was just --

BERMAN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Came right in.

BERMAN: And then pulled off to a rest stop or a drive through.

BOLDUAN: Oh, OK. Oh, sorry everyone.

BERMAN: Yes, I'll have the Happy Meal, please.

BOLDUAN: The only thing I didn't see was a turn signal, so there's your violation.

BERMAN: There you go. BOLDUAN: All right, let me bring you up to speed on this one. First,

he spent more than 40 years behind bars. Then the murder conviction that put him there was overturned. But before he could really see freedom really for the first time in decades, ICE agents picked him up, took him into custody on a decades old deportation order. Now a judge has stepped in, ruling in the man's favor, but still, ICE has not yet released him.

CNN's Omar Jimenez spoke with his family and has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They could only watch through a screen in State College, Pennsylvania, for what became a moment more than 40 years in the making for 64-year-old Subramanyam Vedam and his family.

SARASWATHI VEDAM, SUBRAMANYAM VEDAM'S SISTER: Before the judge read his decision, he wasn't allowing himself to be hopeful. He has had so many disappointments.

JIMENEZ (voice over): Subu, as he's known, was convicted of murder in the early 1980s and sentenced to life without parole. He also pleaded no contest to charges of possessing LSD with intent to distribute it. In 2025, a judge overturned his murder conviction based on key evidence prosecutors withheld during his original trials. But his drug conviction stayed. So, right when he was set to be released after 40 plus years, ICE took him into custody for deportation proceedings.

His family says Subu was a legal resident but not a citizen, and DHS claims because of his drug conviction and his status, he can be deported. He came to the U.S. to State College from India as an infant with his parents. They would visit him weekly when he was incarcerated. His parents died in recent years.

VEDAM: I feel mournful and sad that my parents are not here to see this day, and I feel like they're with us somehow. But that's the hardest part.

JIMENEZ (voice over): After the hearing, Subu put out a statement, writing in part, "I have a really, really special family. I'd also like to thank the many, many friends that have supported and believed in me over the past 44 years. Without their belief in justice, I don't think my success would have been possible."

After his murder conviction was overturned, the board of immigration appeals determined he was an exceptional situation and reopened his immigration case, which came to a resolution this day. The judge weighed a few factors in his decision. He said Subu was admitted as a lawful permanent resident as an infant and has been one over 60 years. On the drug related charge, the judge said he showed genuine rehabilitation in prison from his teen years to his 60s now, and strong family ties here in the U.S., with plans to further his own education. The judge concluded Suba's release would be in the best interest of the United States. JIMENEZ: The family gathered here in this State College neighborhood

about 30 minutes or so from the detention facility, from really all over the country and beyond, expecting that with this decision, which is what they wanted, they would be able to bring him home. But now they've got to wait just a little bit longer.

VEDAM: We don't have that much more time.

JIMENEZ: How are you going to remember this day?

VEDAM: It's the beginning of the beginning. I'm waiting for the time when I can actually give him a hug.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ (on camera): So, a few things here. The Department of Homeland Security has the ability to appeal. And that's part of why Vedam hasn't been released. They also, though, DHS also emphasized his drug related conviction as part of a statement where they also said that "having a single conviction vacated will not stop ICE's enforcement of the federal immigration law."

[09:00:05]

And it went on to say, "if you break the law, you will face the consequences."

Now