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Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA) On Melania Trump's Denial Of Ties To Epstein, Maxwell In Stunning Remarks; Attorney: Missing Woman's Husband Is "Heartbroken And Deeply Distressed"; What To Know About How Space Affects Human Health, Body. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired April 10, 2026 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:33:20]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning new questions about the impetus behind the unprompted, highly unusual statement from the first lady Melania Trump on Jeffrey Epstein. She hardly ever speaks in public but very suddenly called reporters together to deny any connection to the late convicted sex offender or his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today. To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice Maxwell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: She addressed a 2002 email exchange with Ghislaine Maxwell that was made public back in February as part of a tranche of documents related to the Epstein investigation. Melania Trump, in that email, signs it "Love, Melania." Ghislaine Maxwell writes back calling her "Sweet pea."

Now the first lady also called for public hearings where the survivor would testify under oath.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Now is the time for Congress to act. Epstein was not alone. Several prominent male executives resigned from their powerful positions after this matter became widely politicized. Of course, this doesn't amount to guilt, but we still must work openly and transparently to uncover the truth.

I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors. Give these victims the opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony.

[07:35:17]

Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the Congressional record. Then and only then we will have the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: This morning a group of Epstein survivors are pushing back on that releasing a statement to CNN saying in part, "Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony. Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice."

Now, a person familiar with the matter -- familiar with what the first lady did, told CNN the president was aware that his wife planned to speak but there are other reports that contradict that. The president told MS NOW that he "Didn't know anything about it."

With us now is Congressman James Walkinshaw, a Democrat from Virginia. He is on the House Oversight Committee -- the committee that has been investigating this and talking to people under oath. Thank you so much for being with us.

What do you think was behind the first lady coming out and speaking like this, apparently unprompted?

REP. JAMES WALKINSHAW (D-VA) (via Webex by Cisco): It's hard to say. Obviously, the 2002 email between the first lady and Ghislaine Maxwell suggested a closeness in the relationship. And there's been a lot of internet chatter about that so perhaps she wanted to get ahead of that.

And look, any survivor who wants a forum in Congress or elsewhere to tell their story should be given that forum, but I think many of the survivors would say they have told their stories. They've told their stories to the FBI. They've told their stories to members of Congress.

What they want is full transparency around all of the Epstein files and they want accountability. They want actual action from the Department of Justice with respect to those others who were involved in Epstein's crimes. That's what's been missing here. That's what they want to see; not just another forum to tell their stories.

BERMAN: Your committee -- Republican-led committee did subpoena the former President Bill Clinton and former first lady and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton, of course, says she doesn't even think she ever met Jeffrey Epstein.

We now know that the current first lady Melania Trump did meet Jeffrey Epstein, although she said she had no, I guess, bigger connection to him.

Is Melania Trump, the first lady, someone your committee should speak to?

WALKINSHAW: Well, I think we should start with the president. President Trump, we know, had a long and deep relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. They were described as best friends. We know all of the connections between them that are in the files and in the public record. He has a lot of questions to answer.

I think it would be appropriate for the first lady, either in writing or in a transcribed interview, to put her story on the record and under oath share what she shared publicly yesterday that the relationship was limited and answer questions about that. I think it would be in her interest to put that to bed if what she shared yesterday is the full truth.

BERMAN: If Democrats take over Congress -- if you regain control in November, starting next January do you anticipate perhaps issuing a subpoena for the first lady?

WALKINSHAW: Well, my first priority will be the president. I want President Trump to answer questions before our committee about his relationship with Epstein. And that might shed some further light on the first lady's relationship with Epstein and Maxwell and that could lead us to want to issue a subpoena for her as well.

But I --

BERMAN: So --

WALKINSHAW: -- think the president really is the one who needs to answer questions.

BERMAN: Former attorney general Pam Bondi says she's not coming. Your committee had issued a subpoena for her to come testify. She says no. What now?

WALKINSHAW: Well, we're going to fight to enforce the law and the subpoena. The fact that she was fired doesn't obviate the legal force of the subpoena. The information that the subpoena sought is information that's in Pam Bondi's head. That information was in her head while she was attorney general and it's in her head today.

She knows why all the files weren't and haven't been released. She knows why illegal redactions were made and who made the decisions to illegally redact which files. She has to answer those questions before Congress.

And I'm hopeful that Chairman Comer will enforce that subpoena with the same force that he used to enforce the subpoena of the Clintons, which led to a threat of criminal contempt charges. And if she fails to comply, we'll have to pursue contempt charges against her as well.

[07:40:05]

BERMAN: Um, you do know that Republicans on the committee issued a tweet directly to you on this matter saying, "Dude, relax. You were fine with the Clintons obstructing their subpoenas for seven months and voted against holding them in contempt. As we've stated clearly, we are following up with Pam Bondi's personal attorney about scheduling her deposition. Go touch grass," they say.

WALKINSHAW: Well, I'll relax and touch grass when the survivors get the transparency and accountability that they deserve. And, you know, Chairman Comer's memory might be failing him because I

actually voted for civil contempt charges against the Clintons to try to get them in to answer questions. I didn't support criminal contempt because I didn't think that would get to the outcome we wanted, which was President Clinton coming in and answering questions honestly and openly about his relationship with Epstein, which he ultimately did.

BERMAN: Very quickly, what's your anticipation or what are you expecting to come from these talks in Islamabad between the U.S. and Iran on Saturday?

WALKINSHAW: I don't have high expectations. And if we think about where we are strategically, right now we're in a weaker position negotiating with the regime in Tehran than we were before this war started, right?

They have their nuclear material. They now control the Strait of Hormuz and are treating it like a toll road, allowing their friends and allies to pass and asking to charge others. They retain their missile capacity and are threatening and doing damage to their neighbors in the region and shooting American planes out of the sky.

So unfortunately, this has been a strategic catastrophe and the vice president and Witkoff and Kushner go to the negotiations in a -- in a weaker position than we before the war started. So I don't have high hopes for it, and we'll have to see what happens.

BERMAN: Congressman James Walkinshaw from Virginia. We appreciate your time this morning. Thank you -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Oil prices. Let's take a look. Oil prices are -- well, they're actually pointing -- I mean, they're basically flat then, right now hovering below $100 a barrel at the moment.

Investors, like everyone, watching, waiting, and confused by what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz. That vital shipping passage is still basically closed.

A new report from Fitch Ratings warns that oil prices could climb to over $130 a barrel if the ceasefire with Iran breaks down -- the question could be did it ever really go into place -- and this war escalates once again.

Tracking gas prices, overnight the national average -- going this way. The national -- the national average fell just a bit.

Let's get to CNN's Matt Egan who has got much more on this. Talk to me about all of the prices.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah. Well Kate, look, Americans are finally catching a break at the gas pump. Not a big break but gas prices did fall overnight. The new national average $4.15 a gallon.

Now that is, of course, not cheap by any stretch of the imagination but it is down from the nearly four-year high set just yesterday at $4.17 a gallon, right? This is the biggest decline since the war started back in late February. It's been almost six weeks of just nonstop increases since then.

The fact that gas prices are down, I think this largely confirms what we were expecting, which is that, yes, within days of the ceasefire we'd see a dip in prices, but that this would be a dip, not a plunge in prices.

BOLDUAN: Maybe not a trend.

EGAN: Right, right.

And look, I mean, prices just skyrocketed after the war started, right? When the war started, we're talking about less than $3.00 a gallon gas. It's just been a historic increase.

Now unfortunately, we're probably not going back to the pre-war prices, which is to the left of this red line on this line chart. We're probably not going back to those pre-war prices anytime soon because oil prices are still very high, right?

You mentioned U.S. crude trading a little below $100 a barrel. It's nice to see that they've backed off from the highs of yesterday. But look, Kate, I mean, $98 a barrel -- that is not cheap for oil by any stretch of the imagination there.

Now, the biggest problem, of course, is the Strait of Hormuz, right? This ceasefire has not yet broken up that logjam of tankers trying to exit the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, right? So the left side, you can see all these vessels piling up and we have not seen a dramatic increase in traffic through this narrow waterway.

Now, shipping executives and analysts tell CNN that it's just too risky right now.

BOLDUAN: Right.

EGAN: Like, there's just too much uncertainty. They're looking for more guidance and safety assurances, including from Iran, before they take the risk of going through the Strait of Hormuz.

Now, President Trump weighed in last night on this issue, right? He told -- he put a Truth Social post out where he said that Iran is doing "a very poor job" of allowing oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz. And he said this is not the agreement that we have. The president also demanded that Iran not charge tolls for safe passage through the strait even though this is something that he himself has previously floated the U.S. could do in tandem with Iran --

[07:45:00]

BOLDUAN: Correct.

EGAN: -- through some sort of a joint venture.

But look, you put it all together you have the Strait of Hormuz not reopened. We also have new attacks on energy infrastructure in the region. And you can understand why analysts are not expecting gas prices to go back to those cheap levels anytime soon.

BOLDUAN: Yeah. Is a ceasefire truly actually in place, other than the United States, to stop firing rockets?

EGAN: Right, yeah. There's just so many questions right now.

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much, Matt.

EGAN: Thanks, Kate.

BOLDUAN: John.

BERMAN: All right. We have new details this morning in the disappearance of a Michigan woman in the Bahamas. Lynette Hooker has been missing for nearly a week now. This morning an attorney for her husband Brian Hooker released a new statement.

I want to get right to CNN's Dianne Gallagher covering this story. What's the latest?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So John, Brian Hooker remains in Bahamian police custody, though at this time he has not been charged with anything, and we still don't know what led police to arrest him in connection with this wife Lynette's disappearance.

We are learning a little bit more about the arrest itself though, which his attorney has described as harrowing. She says that her client was taken to the couple's yacht "Soulmate" for a police search. That he was handcuffed, the weather conditions were rough, and then he lost his balance and fell overboard.

The lawyer said, "He was submerged in the cold water and took in a significant amount of seawater before his life jacket brought him to the surface. He had to be rescued from the water by the police."

Now, the lawyer added that he hurt his knee and that she has spoken with police and arranged for him to be taken to the hospital for it to be checked out.

Now, she's also noted to us that Brian "categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing. He has been cooperating with the relevant authorities as part of an ongoing investigation."

I spoke with his stepdaughter Karli Aylesworth yesterday after his arrest. And look, she's been calling for a full investigation since her mother went missing at sea on Saturday.

She's also dealing though with this unimaginable grief, right? Her mother is missing. Her stepfather has been arrested. And she tells me that while she hopes that this turns out to have just been a terrible freak accident, she wants that full investigation and she's not going to stop until she finds out exactly what the truth is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARLI AYLESWORTH, LYNETTE HOOKER'S DAUGHTER: I was very sad because he was important in my life and I don't want to believe that he did something like this. Why wouldn't he drop anchor and look for her? Why did he paddle the other way? If my -- if my significant other fell into the water, I'd be freaking out and going after him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: Now, Karli has said all along that Brian's story from that night just didn't add up to her. It doesn't make a lot of sense.

According to police in the Bahamas, Brian said that Lynette and Brian set out on their eight-foot hardbottom dinghy around 7:30 p.m. Saturday for Elbow Cay. They were going to their yacht "Soulmate." He said the water was rough and Lynette "bounced out" and that she was carried away by the current.

Now, a friend of Brian's shared some messages that they exchanged on Monday telling Brian -- or Brian told him, "The wind blew me away from her and she swam towards the sailboat, and we lost sight of each other pretty quickly as it was just about sundown."

Now, Brian told police that Lynette had the keys on her when she fell into the water and that caused the dinghy to lose power. He attempted to paddle but eventually just drifted off miles across the water to Marsh Harbour and that's where he reported her missing. He got there around 4:00 a.m., so we're talking eight hours in between when she went into the water, he says, and when he finally made it to land.

BERMAN: So many questions still. Can you imagine being the daughter right now with all those questions?

Dianne Gallagher, thank you so much for your reporting on this -- Kate.

GALLAGHER: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us Dr. Sanjay Gupta will be back with us this morning taking your questions about the Artemis II crew and the impacts of space on their health. And I hope someone is asking him about this space-approved hot sauce that they took with them because we all need to have some.

Plus, a Zammoth takes to the ice in Utah. What is a Zammoth, you ask? We will explain.

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[07:53:40]

BERMAN: Happening now, the Artemis II crew preparing for re-entry and splashdown. You will not want to miss it. We have it covered -- 8:07 p.m. they are supposed to splash into the Pacific.

Now, their first stop, the naval ship with doctors waiting to see what 10 days in space did to their bodies.

CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with us this morning. And Sanjay, we've had all kinds of questions from viewers about what we should be looking for upon landing here.

And a grandmother writes, saying that her 7-year-old grandson is wondering about sleep, bedtimes, and if there's a schedule, and do you feel rested?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, I love that a 7-year-old is writing in with these questions. That's fantastic.

First of all, I've got to tell you John, I spent a lot of time with these NASA doctors over the years. It's an endless topic of fascination for me. And everything is so detailed in terms of how they approach things. Obviously, sleep a big one.

I think we have an image of what the capsule looks like. It's a tiny capsule. It's like a tiny single dorm room apartment. You've got four people who are living in there.

You see the sleeping bags, so they're sort of attached to the side. Obviously with microgravity environments they're attaching those sleeping bags but you're still essentially floating. Noise, light, vibration, and circadian rhythm differences make it very challenging.

[07:55:05]

But despite that, John, they really strive for eight hours of sleep in these big chunks, except for the first night. They had to wake them up to fire the rockets to head them toward the moon. But other than that they really want them to get eight hours of sleep. Now, the reason being that there's so many cognitively challenging tasks they have to perform on the capsule that sleep becomes critically important.

This mission -- and I'll tell you they're wearing these wristbands that are really closely monitoring their sleep and monitoring their movements, and that's going to be good data for future missions, John.

BERMAN: Eight hours sleep. Maybe I need to go to space to get a good night's sleep because I'm nowhere near eight hours now.

So Brenda from New Jersey writes, "Since water is heavy, I wonder how they get this essential nutrient up there with them? How do they --

GUPTA: Yeah.

BERMAN: -- continue to keep up with their daily intake amount?"

GUPTA: Yeah. It's fascinating.

So again, this is one of those things. They got to send the water up and this is a big deal.

So it's 425-pound tanks of water that are essentially built into the capsule, OK? And then they have these lines -- these manifold lines -- and you're taking a look at it there -- which are basically water dispensers. So they can get, you know, drinking water through those dispensers to obviously hydrate. But also, much of the food that's going up is freeze-dried because

they're trying to save space. So they need to rehydrate their food as well.

So, you know, they're taking a lot of water up for drinking, for rehydration. They also take some flavored drinks up -- coffee, green tea, lemonade, and things like that. But that's a big part of the weight and a big part of the challenge, especially for these long missions.

BERMAN: And maybe the biggest question, Sanjay, because you've been talking about this. Rose from Texas wants to know more about the hot sauce.

GUPTA: Yeah. Look, this has become sort of a subject of internet fascination. The fact that, you know, you go 23,000 miles away from Earth, you have just limited space and what are you going to take? One of the things they take is five different types of hot sauce. We don't know specifically the hot sauces. We've tried to find that out.

But here is the point. When you go up into a microgravity environment several things are happening to your body, including impact on your taste buds and your sinuses. So you become stuffy, essentially. You become congested. And as a result you may have a hard time actually smelling as well. Eighty percent of your taste is smell. And if they don't eat that's a significant problem. So the hot sauce is sort of meant to counter that issue by actually giving them some sort of flavor.

By the way, I think we have video from 2023 just to give you an idea of the detail that goes into this. They were taste-testing food back in 2023 at NASA. This particular crew picking the foods that they want to take up to space for this particular mission. So this has been planned long, long in advance, John.

BERMAN: The sinuses -- I had no idea. They should bring horseradish. That's what clears my sinuses best of all.

Sanjay, great to see you this morning. I know you're going to be watching tonight at 8:07 --

GUPTA: You got it.

BERMAN: -- as well.

BOLDUAN: I see an entrepreneurial moment here. There is a moment here. The government strapped for cash currently. I don't know if you know or have heard a bit of a budgetary problem.

Maybe they should get into the world of NASA-approved hot sauce. We would all buy it. Sanjay would even do a taste. He was just rolling his eyes at me, FYI.

BERMAN: Why don't we do it? We should do CNN NEWS CENTRAL hot sauce.

BOLDUAN: Actually, delete everything we just said. Do not listen to us. John and I will be taste-testing backstage.

OK, let's move to this. In Texas, a grocery store worker springs into action after getting a call about someone needing help in the parking lot. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And she goes, "I have a friend. She's in your parking lot and she's in labor."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: What? Yes. An employee and two others went out looking for this pregnant woman and found her in an expectant mother parking space with her hazard lights on. Apparently, the woman had been unable to reach her family and had a 2-year-old in the back seat. Can you imagine what this poor woman is going through? She has her 2-year-old and she's in labor.

The employee stayed with her as someone else then called 911. She eventually made it to the hospital, giving birth there to a healthy baby boy the day before Easter. We hope they are doing great.

The NHL's Utah Mammoth just rolled out possibly the coolest ride ever on ice. Behold the Woolly mammoth-shaped Zamboni which they, of course, nicknamed "Zammoth." It's exactly as awesome as it sounds. It was just unveiled at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

This prehistoric ice machine is built from a real piece of history actually Zamboni used during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Now it has been transformed with full mammoth makeover, glowing eyes, giant tusks, and so much more. Fans can ride it too, up to eight at a time, while it goes around doing its business of smoothing out the ice midgame.

Players apparently loved it too. Their mascot Tusky took the first spin, which is only fitting.

The timing could not be better. Utah clinched its first-ever Stanley Cup Playoff berth last night.