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90th Edition of the Masters Officially Underway; Iconic Polar Species, Emperor Penguins, at Risk; Israeli Barrage on Lebanon Tests Fragile U.S.-Iran Ceasefire; U.S. Gas Prices Tick Up Amid Shaky Ceasefire; Smoke, Fire Seen at Critical Saudi Oil Plant Hours After Ceasefire; Sean Combs' Lawyers Fighting to Overturn His Conviction; Judges Keep Dismissing Gun Cases Brought by Jeanine Pirro's Office. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired April 09, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Well, for those guys, there's nothing to say yet because they have just started, but he's going to be playing with massive crowds because Scheffler is a two- time champion.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Yeah.

RIDDELL: -- and the world number one. So that might be challenging for Woodland. As far as the leaderboard, the American Sam Burns is out ahead on five under. The former champion, Patrick Reed, just a stroke behind. But early days, it's only Thursday afternoon.

SANCHEZ: Don Riddell with a fantastic assignment in Augusta. Enjoy the cheese sandwiches, some of that Carolina Caviar, my friend. Thank you so much.

RIDDELL: Yeah.

SANCHEZ: A new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Truce talks, high-stakes negotiations between the U.S. and Iran moving forward despite Israel strikes on Lebanon and renewed uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz. Experts now warning the price of oil could spike to more than $130 a barrel if a ceasefire deal is not sustained.

And not so happy feet, Emperor penguins are now one of two iconic polar species being pushed to the brink of extinction. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

SANCHEZ: We start this hour with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu calling for direct talks with Lebanon as the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran hangs in the balance. Sources tell CNN that President Trump requested those talks as Iran continues keeping the Strait of Hormuz essentially blocked over Israel's new attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Wednesday strikes were the most intense since the start of the war, more than 300 people there were killed, according to Lebanese health officials. That is despite Iran and Pakistan which brokered the truce saying that Lebanon was off-limits per their version of the agreement. The White House says Lebanon was never part of the ceasefire deal.

Let's go now live to Beirut with CNN's Nada Bashir. Nada, Israel wants to talk. What are Lebanese officials saying in response?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we haven't had an official statement from the Lebanese government, but we have been hearing from officials close to the government have told CNN that there will be no negotiations under fire. And of course, that is the key question right now for so many here in Lebanon, whether these peace talks will mean a cessation of hostilities, even if at least temporarily to give some respite to the people of Lebanon after more than a month now of bombardment.

Of course, there had been some confusion following the announcement from the Israeli prime minister's office of that invitation for direct talks between Israel and the Lebanese government given the fact that just hours before that, we had also seen a new evacuation order being issued by the Israeli military, covering a broad area of the capital, Beirut, in the south, an area that really included areas have not previously been covered by evacuation order. So raising concern around a possible expansion of the aerial attacks we have seen being carried out by the Israeli military here in the capital.

And of course, as you mentioned, Boris, this comes just a day after we saw that large-scale assault on the capital by the Israeli military and across the country. We've of course heard from the Israeli military saying that they struck what they've described as a hundred Hezbollah targets in the space of just ten minutes across the country. But we have seen for ourselves on the ground, the civilian impact of that.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, talk to us about that, Nada, the humanitarian situation where you are.

BASHIR: Well, look, we have seen the death toll rising today from yesterday's attack, the death toll overall now said to be over 1,700 at least and expected to continue rising. Hundreds have been wounded as a result of yesterday's attacks alone.

And if we're looking at the humanitarian situation more broadly, we are talking about a million people, more than a million people, around 20 percent of Lebanon's entire population who have been displaced in a space of just over a month and homes in the south of Lebanon, entire villages destroyed as a result of these ongoing hostilities.

And of course, there has been mounting pressure from the international community for a cessation of the violence that we have been seeing, for civilian targets to be spared. And I have to say, we've been on the ground in Beirut, looking and reporting from the sites of some of those strikes that were carried out yesterday, and we are talking about large residential buildings next to apartment blocks, shops, cafes, and bakeries.

We've been meeting with the families of those who still have loved ones in the hospital recovering, some who have told us that they are waiting to identify the bodies of their loved ones. So as you can imagine, there is a growing sense here in the country from the Lebanese people that they want an immediate end to this war.

SANCHEZ: Nada Bashir, live for us in Lebanon. Thank you so much for that update. Brianna?

KEILAR: Despite the ceasefire, the greatest oil supply disruption ever seen appears to still be underway with little tanker traffic getting through the Strait of Hormuz and oil prices which dropped drastically right after the ceasefire was announced have now rebounded.

[14:05:00]

At one point today, WTI, the benchmark for U.S. crude exceeded $100 a barrel. Gas is not going down. Today, it's a fraction higher, AAA, reporting an average gallon of regular unleaded is rounding up $4.17. Let's check in now with Patrick Dee Haan. He is the Head of Petroleum Analysis for GasBuddy.

I paid $4.89 here in Washington, D.C. this morning, Patrick. Iran says that it halted traffic through the Strait. Even once it is open, how long until oil companies, you know, they're feeling confident enough to send tankers through and maybe get some of these prices to start to dip a little bit?

PATRICK DEE HAAN, HEAD OF PETROLEUM ANALYSIS, GASBUDDY: Yeah, that's the million dollar question. That may be weeks off. I mean, there's still a highly contentious situation between the U.S. and Iran. The ceasefire is holding, but Iran seems reluctant to allow the free flow of oil again through the Strait.

And as you point out, I mean, this is going to continue to be an issue that drives prices up. Now, we did see the big drop in oil yesterday and some stations are passing along some bigger decreases. I saw a station here in southwest Florida down $0.25 overnight, but that is going to be few and far between, especially as oil prices have a little bit of a bounce back up today.

Americans may not see the big decreases here if oil prices continue to rise, as I would expect so long as the Strait of Hormuz sees very little oil flowing through it.

KEILAR: So what percentage of normal tanker flow do we need to be seeing to actually have an impact here on prices at the pump?

DEE HAAN: Well, I think that's going to directly correlate to the amount of traffic getting through, the impact on the price of oil. If we see a normal volume of oil being shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, then we'll see a very little impact. But if we see virtually none, we're going to continue to see oil prices climbing until either the resumption of oil through the Strait or until demand starts to decline, which is obviously very unlikely here in the interim, especially as we get into warmer weather, Americans are driving more, not less.

So the increases at the pump could continue and, again, completely contingent on how much oil starts flowing through. Yesterday, according to reports, we didn't see any oil carriers flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. We did (ph) see several bulk carriers making it through. But that's really the point. I mean, we're talking about cargoes of over $100 million at stake here. I don't think you're going to see many oil companies wanting to go through the Strait until the coast has been clear for a matter of several days, if not longer.

KEILAR: And critical talks this weekend, Patrick, I mean, assuming they happen, right? We have to assume that. We're operating under that assumption. What are you looking for if they do go ahead?

DEE HAAN: Well, again, confidence in language, we've seen a lot of back and forth, the rhetoric. The market plummeted yesterday on probably the first major chapter that we've seen, the U.S. and Iran agreed to something together. That is a ceasefire. There's probably a lot of disagreement on how they got there and who can declare victory or who not. But it was very powerful to see both countries coming together to figure something out.

That's what oil markets are going to be looking for. If we see a resumption of return to an increase in rhetoric, if we see escalations happening, that is not going to raise confidence for oil markets. So as goes confidence, as we see these countries work together, I'll be very close in looking at the language of any potential agreements. Or will we start to see a return to escalation, that could send gas prices soaring in the weeks ahead.

KEILAR: One of the workarounds to the Strait has been this East-West Pipeline that Saudi Arabia is using to transport oil and just avoid the Strait. But that, because it is a workaround, also makes it a target. And we saw overnight pictures of smoke coming off of a processing facility there.

There were also reports yesterday that a pumping station on that pipeline was struck. This is a way to get oil to port in the Red Sea. What are you watching for there?

DEE HAAN: Well, you know, certainly, as you mentioned, this is a critical way around. The East-West Pipeline that connects the Red Sea instead of the Arabian Sea is certainly a lifeline right now to Saudi Arabia. And that is going to continue to be something that Iran could potentially target if talks don't go well.

Now, I would look for a significant Saudi response, but this is something that has to be watched very carefully. That lifeline, another four to five million barrels of oil can flow through that. To see some sort of attack that would cripple the flow would be even more detrimental to the price of things like oil, gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. That certainly would be a significant escalation should Iran choose to target it. And if negotiations don't go well, if the U.S. does return to an increase in rhetoric and elevate and escalate the situation, that is something that is on top of mind if Iran chooses to target.

[14:10:00]

KEILAR: Patrick Dee Haan, very important to speak with you. Thanks for being with us.

And coming up, Republicans blocking a Democratic attempt to limit the president's war powers. We'll talk to one of the lawmakers at the center of that effort.

Plus, disgraced rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs back in the headlines as his legal team tries to get his conviction and prison sentence overturned. We are live outside the court with an update on today's hearing.

And pushed toward the brink of extinction, two iconic animals from the Antarctic now listed as endangered species. We have that and much more coming up on "CNN News Central."

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[14:15:19]

SANCHEZ: Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs returned to court today, trying to overturn the music mogul's conviction on prostitution related charges. They claim his sentence was too harsh and accused the judge of illegally considering conduct for which Combs had been acquitted. CNN's Kara Scannell is outside the federal courthouse for us in New York.

So, Kara, tell us what happened inside.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, that is exactly what this three panel of judges focused on. Where does one draw the line between acquitted conduct and conduct for crimes that are convicted that are kind of related? So that is where they focused a lot of their questions for both Combs' lawyers and for the prosecutors.

And what Combs' lawyer said is that the trial judge had included some of the conduct that Combs was acquitted of that related to sex trafficking and the racketeering conspiracy, and then applied that when he was sentencing Combs on just the two counts he was convicted of, the transportation to engage in prostitution.

She had said that the jury did not authorize punishment for that, for sex trafficking, and so that was improper. Now, the prosecutors say that the judge had made clear in his sentencing that he was considering other conduct, including Combs' history of violence towards women, as well as looking at who else was involved in some of the transportation charges.

The judge highlighting that there were people that worked for the escort agency that had nothing to do with the sex trafficking allegations or the racketeering conspiracy. So she said that that is why that was proper. The prosecutor also pointed back to statements that the trial judge made where he said he would have come to the same conclusion on the convictions as without even considering any of these other factors about whether other people were involved that are used in what is called an enhancement of a sentencing.

He said he still would have decided to sentence Combs to 50 months in prison. So the judges, the three panel of judges, they were so active in this. This case, this argument was supposed to take 20 minutes. It went roughly two hours. And in closing, one of the judges said, this is an exceptionally difficult case. Combs' lawyer had the last word.

She said whichever way the judges go, she hopes that they will rule on this quickly. Boris?

SANCHEZ: To that, Kara, how long could this process be? When can we expect a decision? And if he prevails, how soon could we see Sean Combs emerge from prison?

SCANNELL: Well, this appeal was at -- Combs' lawyers asked for this to be taken on an expedited basis. And that was granted. So that was an acknowledgment by the appeals court that this is a time-sensitive issue. Combs has been detained in federal custody since he was arrested in September 2024. He's already been in prison about 19 months of this 50-month sentence.

And if the judges are inclined to find that the sentencing wasn't proper, whether they throw it out, the conviction, or just send the case back for resentencing, that is in their mind of how much time Combs has already been detained. So that could play a big role in how quickly they return a decision in this. In cases like this, as the judges pointed out, this is a case of first impression.

They haven't dealt with this issue before based on these new guidelines that came out. So it probably is not going to be today or tomorrow, but it's probably something that they are thinking they will try to get around to within the next few months. And if Combs is allowed to be released from prison, once the judges determine that, he will essentially be allowed to walk out the door as soon as he is wrapped up with certain logistical issues.

But this is still a way to go as we wait to see where the judges are going to come down on this.

SANCHEZ: Kara Scannell, thank you so much for keeping an eye on this story for us.

Still ahead, the Justice Department forced to drop multiple cases of illegal gun possession brought by U.S. Attorney, Jeanine Pirro's office. We'll explain why right after this.

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[14:23:39]

KEILAR: New CNN reporting finds the Justice Department has had to drop illegal gun possession cases in recent months after judges in D.C. repeatedly found fatal flaws in the cases. Several attorneys in Washington say the cases being charged by the Office of U.S. Attorney, Jeanine Pirro, were weak from the jump.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz is with us now with her reporting on this. What are you learning about these cases? Why are they being dropped?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME & JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, this is the cascading effect of Trump administration policies. We're watching it play out in real time here in D.C. and under the U.S. attorney leadership of Jeanine Pirro at the U.S. attorney's office in D.C.

What has happened here is that Donald Trump sent all kinds of law enforcement, federal, and was beefing up policing on the streets of D.C. last summer during the surge, much publicized by the Trump administration, the White House, and Pirro herself.

When police were stopping people on the street, marshals, service officers were surrounding people with many cars. People were being picked up jaywalking, loitering, double parked. And then police were looking into their things and finding guns and also finding that some of these people with guns had criminal records. That's a federal crime in D.C. to have a gun and have a record.

[14:25:00]

So they're getting charged in federal court. But the situation with Pirro is, in the past, the U.S. attorney's office didn't charge all of these cases because the prosecutors would look at them quite closely and decide, if this is a garbage case, we're not going to take it through court.

But Pirro's office, they're charging them, they're getting before judges, and the judges are looking at how the police work was done and saying, wait a minute, these searches violated people's constitutional rights. They were done without probable cause because of shoddy policing.

I asked Pirro about this, whether this was a waste of time and resources for her office because the numbers have borne it out. Judges that were never throwing out guns that were found in searches like these are now getting rid of those cases, and the U.S. attorney's office is having to dismiss them.

I asked her to respond to this, and this is what Pirro said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANINE PIRRO, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Do you know how many surge cases we are talking about? 11,000.

POLANTZ: Yeah.

PIRRO: We are talking about 11,200 search cases. It may even be more. Sure. Are some going to -- are some going to -- is the judge going to defer? You know, it is a subjective test. POLANTZ: So you -- are you saying --- you are saying you've looked at these and signed off on them?

PIRRO: What I'm saying is the ones that I've looked at, I've made sure that they meet the constitutional muster.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POLANTZ: So Pirro here, she is also saying that crime is down in D.C. They are doing this policing, and they're charging a lot more cases than would have been charged in the past. The question is, at what cost? And also, it does seem like they have a problem before the court right now.

KEILAR: Well, because -- we know about these, because they're revealed by these cases.

POLANTZ: Yes.

KEILAR: It makes you wonder what other searches have been done that are not revealed by these kinds of cases. Nonetheless, your reporting is also coming in a really interesting time for Jeanine Pirro. Tell us about that.

POLANTZ: Yeah, her profile is rising because there is the possibility that someone like her could want to become the attorney general. We don't know exactly if she's on the short list, but I have tried to get an answer from her. I asked her on Saturday who she thought should become the attorney general.

Yesterday, she had a press conference, and I asked her as well. Here's how that exchange went. She gave the same answer both days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POLANTZ: Would you want to become the attorney general and has it come up in conversation with President Trump at all?

PIRRO: First of all, I am here because the president asked me to be here. I am here as, I think, the only double-hatter in the United States attorney's offices. I came here not only for the federal crime, but for the street crime. I'm back at my roots.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POLANTZ: Dodging that question, saying she's fighting crime, there's Jeanine Pirro right now in that mix of possible people that could rise in the Justice Department still, although she does have a lot of trouble in the D.C. district court, the federal court at this time.

KEILAR: Interesting canned answer to a question you did not ask, though. I will say, that was incredibly interesting, Katelyn Polantz, not for lack of trying, so thank you for that.

(LAUGH) KEILAR: Still to come, confusion over the U.S.-Iran ceasefire as Israel's attacks on Lebanon, or because of Israel's attacks on Lebanon, Iran is still keeping the Strait of Hormuz basically shut down. We're going to talk to a former defense secretary next.

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