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Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) On Trump Announcement Of Two-Week Ceasefire With Iran; NASA Releases New Photo Taken By Astronauts Of Milky Way; Today: Suspect In Gilgo Beach Serial Killings Expected To Plead Guilty. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired April 08, 2026 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:48]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the breaking news that we are following right now -- there are new comments just in from President Trump just this morning -- just now after announcing the two-week ceasefire with Iran.

Now the president is declaring this -- that "The United States will work closely with Iran," which he says, "We have determined has gone through what will be a very -- will be very productive regime change." The president says that "There will be no enrichment of uranium, and the United States will be working with Iran to dig up and remove all the..." -- what he's calling -- "nuclear dust." He also says at the end, "Many of the 15 points..." -- this is what the United States has put forward as a deal -- "...have already been agreed to."

Big question marks about what if anything though has truly been agreed to with Iran right now.

New comments from the president. He's very clearly up and working on this now.

We're also very soon expecting the first update from the Pentagon since this deal -- this ceasefire came together. What does the ceasefire really entail? There are still questions about that. What does it mean for the Pentagon when the president also announced overnight that the U.S. "will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz."

U.S. officials say Vice President JD Vance is expected to be joining possible in-person peace talks now. Pakistan has invited both sides to Islamabad Friday.

Let's get to CNN's Clarissa Ward. She's live this morning in Saudi Arabia, one of the Gulf Nations, watching and waiting, and listening for what this means for the region and what comes next. What's the latest you're picking up, Clarissa?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well I think you can definitely feel, Kate, a palpable sigh of relief across this region. Even though there have been a number of infractions with regard to the ceasefire throughout the course of the morning it is largely still intact. And I've been talking to sources here who said listen, if President

Trump had gone ahead with his plan or his threat to level civilian infrastructure inside Iran, we would have been the ones to bear the brunt of Iran's retaliatory attacks.

The source also telling me that he thinks it's encouraging that Iran, after initially agreeing only to a full ceasefire, came to the table to agree to a two-week ceasefire. This source saying that he views that as a positive signal that the Iranian regime is not nihilistic. That they are still rational.

However, there are still so many hurdles, so many obstacles, and so many questions that will have to be addressed on Friday in Pakistan. That is when the hard work will start, Kate, trying to iron out the chasm -- the glaring chasm that clearly exists between the U.S.' 15- point plan and Iran's 10-point plan.

The enriched uranium will be part of that. Regional proxies will be part of that. Ballistic missile capability will be part of that.

And crucially, the access and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz because Iran appears to think in principle that it will now largely be de facto in control of the Strait of Hormuz, deciding who gets access, charging potentially $2 million a ship for that access. That is unlikely to pass muster, of course, with the U.S. and President Trump. And it's also considered to be a red line here in the Gulf.

So that really giving you just a sense of the myriad of challenges that will meet diplomats when they gather in Iran -- in Pakistan on Friday to try to hammer out or cobble together some kind of an agreement that will extend beyond the two weeks, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yeah. You put it together and sum it up perfectly on this and what the challenges are ahead and how far apart -- big questions of how far apart they really still are, and can they reach any sort of agreement to get to the middle.

Clarissa, thank you so much in Riyadh for us this morning -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right.

And joining me now for more is Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts. He is also a former Marine who commanded the infantry in Afghanistan and special operations in Panama. Thank you so much for being here.

[07:35:05]

I want to get straight to what we just saw from Donald Trump about three or four minutes ago where he put out on social media that the United States will work closely with Iran. That they have determined has gone through very productive regime change. There will be no enrichment, he says, of uranium, and the United States working with Iran to dig up and remove all the deeply buried nuclear dust.

Two questions here. Do you see this as regime change, as he has stated over and over and over again? And how difficult do you think it will be to get Iran to go forward with what he is saying, which is to stop enriching uranium, which has been a big sticking point that they wouldn't budge from earlier?

REP. JAKE AUCHINCLOSS (D-MA) (via Webex by Cisco): No, I don't think it's regime change. And to your second question, it depends. Let me explain that.

First of all, this is classic Trump, right? I mean, he starts a war, backs down, then declares victory for world peace. So we should all just be putting him on mute because he's just trying to gaslight the American public.

Here's what actually happened. He launched a war of choice declaring that the -- that the outcome was going to be unconditional surrender. But what, in fact, happened is that we have left a new hardened, more hardline regime in place replacing an 86-year-old dictator with a 56- year-old dictator.

And then second, before this war started the Strait of Hormuz was open to global navigation. Twenty percent of the world's oil, helium, fertilizer. A massive -- probably the most important chokepoint in the entire global economy. At the end of this war the president agreed with Iran that strait would be subject to the control of the Iranian Armed Forces. That is a strategic failure.

And that's why I say it depends is because we have granted this new strategic deterrent by giving it the whip hand over global energy markets on the strait, Iran may actually well decide that they can offer some surface-level concessions on its nuclear program because now they have a new strategic deterrent. This president has managed to give them a new trump card to play.

SIDNER: You are talking about the Strait of Hormuz and now they're talking -- basically saying that the military will have control of that as to which ships go through, et cetera, et cetera.

I do want to ask you about what we saw in the leadup to this two-week ceasefire. The president used some murderous language threatening a whole civilization if Iran did not agree to a deal.

Seventy Democrats, and even some Republicans and Trump allies, are calling for Trump's removal, including MAGA supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene who invoked the 25th Amendment which allows procedures for removing the president if the president isn't fit for office, saying here, "25th AMENDMENT!!! Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization. This is evil and madness."

And then you have MAGA influencer and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones asking, "How do we 25th Amendment his ass?" on his podcast.

Are you asking the same question this morning?

AUCHINCLOSS: Look, I'm not taking my cues from Alex Jones and Marjorie Taylor Greene. These are both reprehensible individuals.

I think this president clearly is unfit for office. I've already voted to impeach him once. I don't think he belongs in the Oval Office.

I think Democrats also have to be disciplined and recognize that the 25th Amendment and impeachment threats aren't going to pass Congress. Let's just be blunt about that -- they're not. Republicans will never go along with it in the House or the Senate.

And two, they also strengthen the president's own grievance narrative that he loves to beat the drum on with his base. That somehow, he is taking the slings and arrows on behalf of so many Americans. And this kind of rhetoric I think strengthens that.

So constitutionally -- yes, of course, I support removing him from office. I think politically we have to recognize that in some ways it actually strengthens his hand.

And what Democrats should be focused on: number one is a war powers resolution in Congress during this two-week period because we have got to box in his freedom of action going forward. The man has no business running this war -- running any war unilaterally.

And then number two is we've got to demonstrate to the American public that unlike him, we are focused on their top priorities -- on the cost of living, on national security, on true immigration reform. Democrats have to make and keep promises to the American public to earn back their trust.

SIDNER: All right, Congressman Jake Auchincloss. Thank you so much. An interesting conversation with you this morning with so many things happening internationally. Appreciate your time -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, breaking this morning, a huge shift to the Democrats -- the biggest in a congressional election so far this cycle.

In Georgia, Republicans held onto the seat vacated by Marjorie Taylor Greene. Sara was just talking about her with the congressman. But the margin is what has Democrats salivating. In a district that Trump -- that President Trump won by 37 points, last night it was an 11-point spread. That is more than a 25-point shift.

[07:40:00]

Let's get to CNN's Arlette Saenz with the latest on this. Twenty-five points is a huge shift in a district like this, Arlette.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really is, John, and Republicans were able to hold onto this congressional district in northwest Georgia. But it's those margins that you mentioned that will be a warning sign for many Republicans, especially in this consequential midterm year.

Now, Republican Clay Fuller, a former district attorney, beat Democrat Shawn Harris in this race to replace retired -- the retired Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.

And just look at those numbers. Fuller beat Harris by just over 11 points. Now, compare that to President Donald Trump's win in this district back in 2024. The president won there by 68 points. That's a 25-point swing in this district and something that both parties will be watching very closely.

This narrowing in the margin of victory actually marks Democrats' biggest overperformance in a congressional special election since President Donald Trump took office, and it's coming on the heels of Democrats' success in many special elections across this country since Donald Trump's second term first began.

Now the Democrat Shawn Harris has argued that even though he lost that narrowing of the margin is a victory for Democrats.

Fuller -- for his part, he ran with the full endorsement of President Trump and argued that he is a warrior for the president. In his remarks last night he said his win was possible because of the president's support. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLAY FULLER, (R) REP.-ELECT FOR GEORGIA'S 14TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: So much of what you're going to hear from the fake news media is that President Trump doesn't mean anything to Georgia 14 anymore. Well, you can see with the results on March 10, and you can see the results of what we're seeing here today that President Trump is the most critical factor in our election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, Fuller won last night but they are already preparing for another race. This election was simply to fill the remaining time on Senate -- or Congresswoman Majorie Taylor Greene's term. There will now be a primary for that seat in May and a general election up in November. The race for that congressional seat, of course, will be taking place while there are also other consequential races in Georgia, like the campaigns for Senate and also an open governor's seat.

BERMAN: All right, Arlette Saenz for us following this.

Again, you know, I will tell you the congressman-elect says that this shows President Trump is still a factor in that district. If they even had half the swing in November that they had last night it would be a major wave for the Democrats -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely, John. Thank you so much.

The Artemis II crew is on their way home, still now just a little over 200,000 miles from Earth, and they're expected to splash down in the Pacific on Friday.

Overnight, NASA released some new images. Take a look at this one. A new image taken from the astronauts of -- this is the Milky Way, with more photos still coming in.

CNN's Randi Kaye is at Johnson Space Center for us, once again in Houston, for much more. So tell us more about the photos coming in and also what's expected today.

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well today they expect to do a manual piloting test, Kate, just in case they need it. They don't expect to have to manually pilot the Orion capsule, but they'll do that. And they'll also sort of reset the cabin -- the capsule so as they make their way home, they have to reset it for reentry on Friday -- for a splashdown on Friday night.

So -- but we have been oohing and aahing as all of these photos have been coming in. Just take a look at some more of these. There is the eclipse, of course, and you can see a lot of the texture of the moon in some of these photos. We have photos of Earth setting behind the lunar horizon there. They are just incredible.

And when you look at the texture of the moon, according to one of the top scientists here that I spoke with, she said that some of those crates are four billion years old. And they found a young one, as she said, that was just 3.8 billion years old.

And even pilot Victor Glover was describing how dark some of those craters are. He said it looked like if you were to step into one you would drop through and come out the other side of the moon.

So it's pretty fascinating to see all these photos and images coming in.

They also had another history-making moment. They made a celestial call to the astronauts on the International Space Station. This was the first time humans on a moon mission called the International Space Station.

And the astronauts on the Space Station asked them about their perspective of seeing the moon instead of the Earth below and here's a little bit of what mission specialist Christina Koch had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINA KOCH, MISSION SPECIALIST, ARTEMIS II: Things that changed for me looking back at Earth was that I found myself noticing not only the beauty of the Earth, but how much blackness there was around it. And how it just made it even more special. It truly emphasized how alike we are and how the same thing keeps every single person on planet Earth alive. The specialness and preciousness of that really is emphasized when you notice how much else there is around it."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:45:10]

KAYE: And you can just hear the moon joy, as they call it, in her voice.

And they are on their way home, Kate, but Christina Koch has said that she would like to stay up there longer. She's having so much fun.

BOLDUAN: Moon joy. May we all -- may we all have moon joy one day. Randi, thank you so much. This is amazing.

J.B., do you have moon joy?

BERMAN: I think I can hear it in your voice.

BOLDUAN: Yeah.

BERMAN: I think I can hear moon joy in your voice this morning, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, John. I don't know if that's a compliment from him.

BERMAN: All right, shifting gears. What could be a huge turn of events in one of the most closely watched alleged serial killer cases in decades. The accused so-called Gilgo Beach killer could switch his plea to guilty today.

A possible once-in-a-100-year weather event. A Super El Nino, not just an El Nino -- a super one that could wreak havoc all summer.

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:50:00]

SIDNER: All right, we've got some breaking news for you out of Lebanon. Large explosions were being seen in central Beirut. Israel says it launched its largest strikes across Lebanon since the start of the war with Iran.

Nada Bashir is in Beirut for us. We are now seeing those pictures of huge plumes of smoke billowing just behind you. What can you tell us? What are you learning this morning?

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Sara. Just moments ago we heard at least four large blasts here taking place in parts of central Beirut, the Lebanese capital. You can still see some of the plumes of smoke behind me. This was a significantly large explosion compared to what we have been seeing over the last few days here in Beirut.

And as you mentioned, we have now heard from the Israeli military spokesperson describing this as the largest wave of attacks we've seen on Lebanon since the beginning of the war. According to the Israeli military spokesperson, approximately 100 of what they described as Hezbollah targets -- headquarters and military infrastructure -- were hit in the space of just 10 minutes across Lebanon.

And, of course, we did see this morning further strikes taking place in the south, including in the city of Tyre. It's unclear at this stage how many of those blasts took place in civilian areas -- civilian targets. There is a concern, of course, that there will be civilian casualties as a result of this latest wave of strikes given the fact that these explosions have taken place in parts of central Beirut which is, of course, densely populated. And we, of course, are seeing people out and about in the streets still, despite the war. And the concern, of course, also is that has come just hours into that temporary ceasefire between the U.S., Israel, and Iran. There had been hopes that some indication from the Pakistani prime minister that ceasefire would extend to Lebanon but clearly that is not the case.

And we've been hearing from Hezbollah -- a spokesperson from Hezbollah this morning who had said that if Israel did not commit to a cessation of hostilities that also Hezbollah would not.

So clearly, we are not seeing that ceasefire here in Lebanon.

SIDNER: Clearly. And we're just listening to the sirens going off there and we can see now on a wider shot behind you all of the different places you said you heard four blasts. We are seeing the results of that with smoke billowing from several different -- at least four different places in that very densely populated city.

Nada Bashir, thank you so much to you and your crew. Stay safe -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: This morning there is a major development that is expected in a case that haunted the Gilgo Beach community for nearly three decades. The suspect accused or murdering seven women in a series of killings whose remains were found along -- on Long Island's south shore -- this man is expected now to change his plea to guilty.

Rex Heuermann previously denied allegations of murder when he was arrested in July of 2023. Now he will be in court, expected today, and according to a source he's expected to, as it's put to CNN, take responsibility for all seven murders.

The initial case focused on the Gilgo Four, as they became known, who disappeared between 2007 and 2010. In 20 -- in 2024, then, charges filed against Heuermann were expanded to include more victims, suggesting that the killings began all the way back in the early '90s.

A guilty plea by Heuermann now could spare the victims' families from a lengthy trial, which is set to begin in September.

But I have to say a lot of questions about this big development. Joining me right now is CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson for more on this.

Joey, as part of what CNN is learning is that there's no kind of deal that was struck with the prosecutor -- with the D.A.'s offers -- office in exchange for this change in plea. Is that odd? Is that strange?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: So sometimes it is, sometimes it's not.

BOLDUAN: OK.

JACKSON: Because what ends up happening is that you have to evaluate as a defendant should I move forward, what are the risks and consequences? In this particular case I think that he's boxed in Kate, right? You

can -- the consequences are significant inasmuch as he'll spend the rest of his life in jail. However, having said that, what's the point?

Now everyone certainly has a defense, but I think there were two major blows that led to this guilty plea that we're going to see at 11:00 a.m. today Eastern time. What were they?

I think the first thing was there were rulings as it related to DNA. What police did here -- and kudos to them for the investigation -- there was this degraded DNA that was used. And as a result there are conventional DNA sources that are used generally that we hear about and we see all the time, and then there are unconventional sources. And this, called "hold gnomes" sequencing was DNA that they could extract from really degraded samples.

The defense said you can't use that. It's not scientifically acceptable. It's not something the courts in New York State have ever recognized. The judge said oh, yeah? I'm admitting it. Once you get that before a jury it's problematic.

[07:55:05]

The second thing, very briefly, and that is that the defense wanted to have individual trials, feeling that the impact of having all of these collective accusations in one trial would just be too prejudicial and overwhelming. The judge said it arises from the same set of circumstances. There are similarities. I am allowing that.

And I think based upon that the reality was is that why are we going to trial in September when I think my fate -- and that's only the DNA evidence we talked about.

BOLDUAN: Right.

JACKSON: There's much more.

And so I just think that cutting his losses and calling it a day. But generally, to your question if a defendant has a lot to lose, why not, right? But in this case, I think he just threw in the towel.

BOLDUAN: When you say cutting his losses, what is he avoiding by offering up this guilty plea? Yes, a lengthy trial but, like, what are the judge's options now?

JACKSON: So I think it's more -- from a family's perspective -- I mean, trials are very graphic, very visual, right, and there's a lot of information here. There is remains that were found, there's dismemberment. There are all those issues. So I think the beneficiaries of this, and that's a horrible word to use.

BOLDUAN: Right.

JACKSON: There are no beneficiaries. But I think the family doesn't -- the families collectively don't have to really sit and see that, and that's a big deal -- a very big deal. It's so compelling -- the victim impact statements.

He won't be sentenced today. You plead guilty and you'll be asked questions. Sir, you're pleading guilty because you are guilty. I'm looking to see the allocution. What is he going to say that he specifically did as to each particular victim, right, because the judge wants to hear that.

And then I think the judge -- there will be sort of a presentencing report and then the judge will issue sentence sometime months from now. And I think that he'll get life without parole. So he'll gain nothing, but the families will not endure sitting there and listening to such compelling, powerful, and disturbing testimony.

BOLDUAN: I mean, and you think about how long it took to even get this case to where it is and then how this development has turned -- this is a huge moment for so many. I mean, this paralyzed a community, terrorized a community for --

JACKSON: It did, Kate.

BOLDUAN: -- years and years and years.

JACKSON: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: It's a remarkable thing.

It's good to see you.

JACKSON: Always.

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much.

JACKSON: Thanks.

BOLDUAN: Sara.

SIDNER: All right.

On our radar for you this morning in Texas, new video of an insane crash -- look at that -- narrowly missing a group of children. A motorcycle lost control and skidded across the pavement before hitting a curb and going up in flames. None of those children were hurt.

The motorcyclist -- if you watch here -- who was covered in flames at some point, off of his bike, ended up running across the street and rolling in the grass. But clearly, not that badly injured -- unbelievable. They did -- he did have some burns, he did have some abrasions, but he's expected to make a full recovery.

All right, massive flames at a paper distribution warehouse in Ontario, California. Nearly 1.2 million square feet filled with products like toilet paper, diapers, tissues. It took nearly 200 firefighters several hours to try to get that blaze under control. A 29-year-old warehouse employee is accused of intentionally starting this fire. He now faces arson charges. No one was hurt in that -- John. BERMAN: All right. This morning three words for you, or is it two? Either way it could make for a treacherous weather summer -- Super El Nino.

CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir is here now. It doesn't sound good.

BILL WIER, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Grande El Nino perhaps, yes. These are ones that happen every decade or so. El Nino, La Nina are natural occurring phenomenon in the ocean -- in the Pacific right around the equator. I think we have map right now of the dying La Nina, which is this patch of cold water right there.

Well, as we speak, this unusual amounts of warm water is welling up along that equator in the Pacific there and it's going to get hotter and hotter and hotter until late summer, which we could see the effects. And these El Ninos are really destructive because they can bring bigger storms to the West Coast. They can bring drought conditions, wildfire conditions across much of Africa and South America.

This is what happens to hurricanes in an El Nino year. That wind that's moving from west to east actually dampens hurricanes coming across the Atlantic. So possibly, good news on that. But who knows if a Superstorm Sandy-type situation could pop up as well.

But we can give you some of the statistics on this. An El Nino officially is anytime those Pacific waters get about half a degree Celsius above the long-term average. Super El Nino is two full degrees --

BERMAN: Wow.

WEIR: -- so a real boost.

So if you think about climate change, we're getting warmer. It's like riding up on an escalator. This is Super El Nino. It's like jumping up an escalator so you're setting records -- temporary records as you go up there.

Flooding risk, as you said, in California. The southern U.S. could be more vulnerable to this. Atlantic hurricane season could be quieter as result of El Nino. And it could make '26-'27 the hottest year. The last El Nino year of record-setting was a couple of years ago. This could push it up yet again.