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Husband Arrested After American Goes Missing in Bahamas; U.S. Gas Prices Rising; Fragile Iran Cease-Fire. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired April 09, 2026 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:02]

KARA SWISHER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: And that's harder, harder to do.

Now, there are some scientific breakthroughs coming that are astonishing, including -- you know, GLP-1s is one. A.I. in cancer research is another. MRNA technology, away from the politics, it is groundbreaking, CRISPR, gene editing. And there's Jay (ph) right there.

And so there's all manner of things you can do ahead of -- and we don't promote that in this country. We take care of people after they're sick and don't make them healthy before they are.

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Yes, that's a very important point. I can't wait to see this.

SWISHER: Thanks a lot.

BASH: Thank you so much for coming on to talk about it.

Check out the all new CNN original series "KARA SWISHER WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER." It premieres Saturday right here on CNN and Sunday on the CNN app.

Thank you so much for joining us on INSIDE POLITICS today.

"CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts right now.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: The Middle East cease-fire put to the test, as both sides battle over terms. And on the eve of high-stakes negotiations, Israel's strikes on Lebanon could throw a future truce into doubt.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Husband arrested. The Royal Bahamas police taking an American man into custody days after he told investigators that his wife fell overboard in rough waters. What we know about this fast-developing case.

And a bump slump, the U.S. birth rate dropping to a record low. So why are Americans having fewer babies and what is the impact of it?

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL. SANCHEZ: The already fragile cease-fire between the U.S. and Iran

that was supposed to see a pause in attacks and the Strait of Hormuz reopened is now being further tested, as the countries involved still disagree over whether Lebanon was part of that deal.

Iran and Pakistan say that it was. The U.S. and Israel say that it was not. And now, just one day after launching the largest attacks on Lebanon yet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling for direct talks with Lebanon about disarming Hezbollah.

Meantime, in the Persian Gulf, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says that it's closed the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for those Israeli attacks. Tracking data shows just a handful of ships have made it through the vital shipping lane today.

Let's go live now to Tel Aviv with CNN's Jeremy Diamond.

Jeremy, what more do we know about these talks between Lebanon and Israel?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Israeli prime minister announcing in just the last couple of hours that Israel will engage in direct negotiations with Lebanon in order to -- talks that will focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon.

This comes one day after we saw those massive Israeli strikes in the heart of the Lebanese capital in densely populated areas that resulted in significant civilian casualties. We know that, across Lebanon, more than 180 people were killed as a result of those strikes, hundreds more wounded.

Now, this request from the Israeli prime minister for these negotiations came, I'm told, after a request from President Trump for the Israeli prime minister to engage in talks with Lebanon. President Trump also requested from the Israeli prime minister that he scale back Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

Now, it's clear that the prime minister has decided to ask for these negotiations with Lebanon. It's a lot less clear whether Israel will scale back any of its strikes in Lebanon. One Israeli official telling us that there will be no cease-fire, that these negotiations will be conducted under fire.

At the same time, we heard from the vice president, J.D. Vance, who said that the Israelis had offered to check themselves somewhat in Lebanon, so a mixed picture there in terms of exactly what we will see. I think it's pretty clear that Israel will not stop its strikes altogether in Lebanon, but perhaps they will allow for a lesser pace of strikes in order for these negotiations to proceed.

But we also haven't yet heard officially from the Lebanese government about their participation in these negotiations. The Lebanese president -- days after Hezbollah entered this war and began firing rockets at Northern Israel, the Lebanese president requested direct negotiations with Israel on this issue. He also outlawed Hezbollah's military activities in Lebanon.

And so we will see whether those negotiations do indeed begin in earnest. An Israeli official telling me that it will be Israel's ambassador to Washington, Ambassador Leiter, who will be the representative for the Israeli side to these negotiations.

Again, we will see how they proceed and how it affects the Iranian point of view as well, as the Iranians have been insisting that a cease-fire must be maintained in Lebanon in order for this cease-fire between the U.S. and Iran and Israel and Iran, effectively, to continue to proceed.

[13:05:02]

SANCHEZ: Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much for that update from Tel Aviv -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Trump administration officials are getting ready to hold high-stakes talks with Iranian officials in Pakistan. Vice President J.D. Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in- law Jared Kushner are all expected to attend.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is live for us at the White House on this story.

Kristen, how is the administration preparing for what really should be and could be a crucial meeting?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's going to be a crucial meeting, if it does happen.

And what we're seeing right now from the administration is a doubling down on this effort to ensure that they get to these talks. This is a precarious cease-fire. We know that. We're seeing the claims on both sides, particularly coming from the Iranians.

And the administration is putting in the work to try and make sure that this doesn't fall apart in the last minute. We know that J.D. Vance, the vice president, was asked last night about Lebanon not being included in the cease-fire. Instead of playing it up, he said he believed truly that it was an honest misunderstanding.

They have not been pinpointing, they being the White House, the Trump administration, pinpointing anything they believe is Iran trying to break the cease-fire. For example, we have seen those ships not going through the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump, the White House had said they would be able to pass freely.

We have not heard from the White House attacking Iran, going after Iran for anything that we are hearing in terms of stopping those ships. There's no real response to what we have heard from Iran going back after the White House saying they broke the cease-fire on multiple fronts.

And, of course, as we just heard Jeremy talking about, this decision from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold these direct talks came at the request of President Trump, who is clearly getting the messages from these regional partners -- we know that Egypt was on the phone with Steve Witkoff -- that Lebanon was going to -- Lebanon was going to provide a problem for this administration if they did not sort it out and for this cease-fire.

So what you're seeing now is really an all-hands-on-deck situation as they are trying to make sure that this truce is cemented.

KEILAR: All right, Kristen Holmes, thank you very much.

Still to come: big doubts over this deal sticking. And that has the price of oil rising. We are following the economic fallout from all of this.

Plus: one day from splashdown, how Artemis II astronauts are preparing.

And 2.5 years ago, he had brain surgery. Well, now he's returning to golf's biggest stage.

We have that much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[13:12:00]

SANCHEZ: So far, the tenuous cease-fire in the war is not providing much relief on energy costs. The average price of gas actually ticked up a fraction of a penny to $4.17 a gallon. Oil prices are also seeing a much sharper rise.

On top of all of this, the latest numbers from the Commerce Department out today show that inflation was already stubbornly high back in February in the weeks before the war at 2.8 percent.

Let's get deeper into the data with CNN senior reporter Matt Egan.

Matt, gas prices have only gone up since the war began. And even if this cease-fire leads to an end in hostilities, chances are that prices at the pump are not going to go down for several months.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: That's right, Boris.

Look, consumers are likely to get some relief in terms of high gas prices, but that relief is likely to be pretty minimal, and that's because, at this point, oil remains very expensive. When the year started, crude was trading for less than $60 a barrel.

Let's look at where it's trading right now. You see WTI. This is the U.S. benchmark, $97 a barrel, right? That is not cheap, up 3 percent on the day. Now, the good news is that oil prices have actually backed off from where they were not just earlier this week, but earlier today.

At one point, crude was above $102 a barrel, but it retreated after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that he instructed his Cabinet to begin direct talks with Lebanon, and that is raising some hopes in the market of a more comprehensive peace deal.

But the fact that prices are up at all just underscores the fact that this is not going to be quick. This is not going to be easy. It's not like flipping a light switch. Now, the most immediate problem is, of course, the Strait of Hormuz, right?

Even though this straight opening up is part of the cease-fire deal, traffic through the narrow waterway remains minimal at this point. And there are many different vessels, some of them carrying oil and other energy products. Many of them are still waiting to get out of the Strait of Hormuz. And it's not just the Strait of Hormuz.

It's also the fact that energy infrastructure in the region has been damaged. Personnel have been evacuated. Production has been shut down. All that's going to take time, money, and confidence to repair. Now, what does this mean for gas prices? Well, as you mentioned, the national average moving higher, but only fractionally higher today, to just under $4.17 a gallon.

That's the highest level in almost four years, and it's well above the prewar level. When you look at the trend for gas, when the year started, over here on the left side of this chart, gas prices were low, they were stable. And then, boom, the war started. That's this red line, and they have gone dramatically higher.

Now, analysts do suspect gas prices will likely start to come down. A veteran analyst, Andy Lipow, he told me a few moments ago that he thinks the national average will start to dip in the next day or two. However, Boris, as you know, history shows, gas prices, they tend to go up like a rocket, but they fall like a feather.

And so getting back to these prewar levels, that's something that's not going to happen for weeks or months, even in the best-case scenario.

[13:15:04]

SANCHEZ: Yes.

And, Matt, if you could show us geographically, where are these prices going up the fastest?

EGAN: Yes.

Well, Boris, this is not just a problem in those blue states like Illinois, where gas tends to be more expensive. Gas prices over the past month, they're rising fastest in some states that voted for President Trump in the 2024 election, including Kentucky, where they're up by 94 cents just in the past month, 84 cents in Alabama, Tennessee, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming as well, all of them seeing dramatically higher gas prices.

And, look, all the focus, of course, is on what people are paying at the pump, but it's not just about gas prices, right? The consequences are massive here. Everything from the cost of buying stuff online, groceries, the overall inflation rate, mortgage rates, all of it hinges on what happens next. The stakes and the consequences for the economy are massive -- back to you.

SANCHEZ: Matt Egan, thank you so much for breaking that down for us.

Up next: There's been an arrest in the case of an American woman who reportedly went missing at sea in the Bahamas -- now in custody, her husband, as family members are raising questions about the case and his potential involvement.

Stay with us. We will be right back.

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[13:20:57]

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour.

Sentencing for a Hawaii doctor convicted of trying to kill his wife while they were out hiking now set for August. Gerhardt Konig faces up to 20 years in prison after a jury convicted him of attempted manslaughter. Prosecutors say he was distraught over his wife's relationship with a coworker and planned to kill her by pushing her off a cliff and stabbing her with a syringe.

When that didn't work, he struck her with a rock. Gerhardt's attorney argued that his wife hit him with a rock first and he acted in self- defense. They're planning to appeal his conviction.

Meantime, a miner who was trapped for nearly two weeks after a mine collapse in Mexico has been rescued. Look at this video that shows the miner being found yesterday shirtless in waist-deep water. Mexican officials say a structural failure led to a dam breach, which then flooded the mine. The rescued miner appeared to be dehydrated, but is now getting medical care.

Out of the 25 who were trapped, officials say that one is still missing. Another was killed. The others fortunately made it out alive.

And Pope Leo welcomed the Harlem Globetrotters to St. Peter's Square, the team teaching the Chicago native how to spin a basketball on his fingertip before presenting him with a personalized jersey. The Globetrotters have a long tradition of visiting the Vatican, with the first recorded performance for a pontiff starting back in 1951 -- Brianna.

KEILAR: The husband of an American woman missing in the Bahamas is now under arrest in connection to her disappearance.

Brian Hooker told police his wife, Lynette, fell off their dinghy on Saturday night while they were boating in rough waters. Lynette's family has raised questions about the circumstances of her disappearance.

Here's what her daughter told us earlier this week. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARLI AYLESWORTH, DAUGHTER OF LYNETTE HOOKER: It just doesn't add up why she was swimming away from the boat or why she had the keys. I have known past issues between them have not been good, so it's just weird that this is happening now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN's Dianne Gallagher is with us on this story.

Dianne, tell us what you're learning here.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

And, Brianna, I actually just a few seconds ago spoke with Karli Aylesworth, Lynette Hooker's daughter. She says that she found out that her stepfather had been arrested from the media and seeing a release on the Bahamian police social media pages.

She said that she was incredibly sad about this development, but she just wants the truth and says she's going to stop at nothing to get it for her mom.

Now, no charges have been filed at this time. And I do want to be clear it is not clear at this point what led to Bahamian police taking Brian Hooker into custody. Police told Reuters that he was taken in -- quote -- "for additional questioning based on some probable cause we have. He's been taken into custody as a suspect. He's been arrested."

Now, an attorney for Brian Hooker released a statement saying in part -- quote -- "that Brian categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing. He has been cooperating with the relevant authorities as part of an ongoing investigation."

Now, the announcement of the arrest came just hours after the U.S. Coast Guard said that it had opened a criminal investigation into 55- year-old Lynette Hooker's disappearance. Coast Guard investigators interviewed Karli Aylesworth, her daughter, for about two hours on Wednesday.

Now, Aylesworth says that her stepfather didn't tell her that her mom was missing until Sunday night. She also shared a voice-mail with us from her stepfather she got earlier this week providing an update to her. Take a listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

BRIAN HOOKER, HUSBAND OF LYNETTE HOOKER: Hello, honey. I just got a call from Hope Town Search and Rescue. And they have found the flotation device that I threw to Mom when she fell overboard.

And so they're -- that's -- they haven't found her yet, but they're -- they can now focus all of their efforts in a smaller area. And they're still out there searching today. So I just wanted to update you and let you know. [13:25:05]

I love you. I will talk to you later. Bye-bye.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: Now, Brian Hooker's attorney noted that he denies any allegations that have been made by Aylesworth.

But I want you to hear what she told me about her reaction to her stepfather's arrest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AYLESWORTH: I felt really sad. I started crying. I just want to know the truth. I don't want him to be in trouble. I don't actually want -- I just hope this was a freak accident, but I don't want it to just be swept under the rug.

So I would like to just know. And I don't want anything bad to happen to him. I don't want anything bad happened to my mom. But I just want answers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: Now, the Hookers have been married for about 25 years. They were very experienced sailors who spent a lot of time documenting their travels on the water on social media.

Brian Hooker told police that they left Hope Town about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday headed for their yacht, Soulmate, at Elbow Cay, and then Lynette bounced out of the dinghy, she was not wearing a flotation device, and that he lost track of her. She had a key, the kill switch, so the dinghy lost power.

And then he eventually floated to Marsh Harbor, where the dinghy beached, and then he told police around 4:00 a.m. on Sunday that his wife was missing. Lynette has still not been found. And authorities say that it is now a recovery operation.

KEILAR: All right. She wants answers, understandably.

Dianne Gallagher, thank you.

Next, an update to a story that we told you about here on CNN. New charges have been filed against an OB-GYN in the Army at Fort Hood after the victim count tripled.

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