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Oil Tops $100 a Barrel; Israel and Lebanon Expected to Hold Direct Talks; Trump Says He's "Not a Fan" of Pope Leo; Mamdani Marks 100 Days as New York Mayor. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired April 13, 2026 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, this morning, taking a look at oil prices right now on the rise, very clearly on the rise again as investors are bracing for another deadline. President Trump's threatened blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, which U.S. Central Command says will begin in less than three hours from now.

Overnight, Iran's parliamentary speaker leveled a new threat in response, saying about gas prices in the United States, quote, "Soon you'll be nostalgic for $4 to $5 gas." Gas prices right now, they have been, they've ticked down slightly, but they've been up about 38 percent since the start of the war.

CNN's David Goldman has been watching all of this. He's joining us right now. So, what have we been seeing? What have you been tracking and seeing when it comes to oil prices, at least overnight after this threatened blockade?

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS REPORTER: Yes. I mean, as expected, when you have a big blockade, we're up 7, 8 percent. I think it's really important to take a step back, though, and ask why is it that President Trump is trying to blockade a strait that he's been practically begging Iran to open?

BOLDUAN: A logical question.

GOLDMAN: Yes, I think that will explain why we're here. So, we've been saying for weeks now that the Strait of Hormuz is closed. And although that's technically true, it actually has been open to Iranian tankers. OK. And so, Iran has about 1.8 million barrels per day that it's getting through the strait. And it's not a lot of oil in the grand scheme of things. It's like 2 percent of global demand. But when you think about how much oil we've lost because the strait is closed, it's around 12 million barrels a day. So, every little drop counts.

So, President Trump says, well, OK, so we've been kind of keeping -- we've been turning our backs and letting those tankers go through. We're not going to do that anymore because Iran is using this to finance the war against the United States. OK. But that is obviously having an effect on oil prices, which is why President Trump wanted to enter peace negotiations in the first place. We're full circle now. BOLDUAN: Full circle. I don't know where we are, actually. But it just continues with this swirl of confusion around objectives and how to get to them. How is it anticipated or speculated that now this blockade could further impact oil prices if this really sets in and sticks?

[07:35:00]

GOLDMAN: Yes. I mean, if you're a consumer, that's all you want to know. Just like, what is going on here? Because you were watching this program last week. Those numbers were at 90. Now, we're over 100 again. We were at 100 two weeks ago.

BOLDUAN: Exactly.

GOLDMAN: What's going on? Well, if this keeps up and this blockade is actually successful and it happens for quite some time, we could be testing the highs that we had two weeks ago where we were almost at $120 a barrel.

So, we're kind of back to where we were when we're saying, look, if this keeps going on, we could potentially go to $125. could be going north of 120 and maybe to $200. We're not there yet, but clearly that line is pointing up and that's not great if you're a consumer.

BOLDUAN: Yes, absolutely right. It's great to see you. Thank you so much.

GOLDMAN: Thanks for having me. We'll see n-- you'll be here tomorrow and we'll see what happens then. JB?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Israel carried out new deadly strikes on Lebanon. Both the U.S. and Israel say Lebanon and Hezbollah runs proxy there. The Shia militia inside Lebanon, they're not included in the ceasefire deal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a rare trip over the border into southern Lebanon.

Let's get right to CNN's Oren Liebermann live in Tel Aviv this morning for the latest on this. Netanyahu's facing a lot of political pressure, a lot of which he's creating himself.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, we're seeing, frankly, a very hot war across the Israel-Lebanon border. Israel has continued to carry out strikes in Lebanon, although we have heard that they are scaling them back, so perhaps fewer strikes in the capital of Beirut itself. And yet those strikes in the military operations continue. A military official told us a short time ago that Israel is surrounding the town of Bint Jbeil, considered a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, we have seen continued Hezbollah rocket and drone fire on northern Israel.

Now, the context here is critical because tomorrow Israel and Lebanon are set to take up direct talks in Washington, D.C., to try to see if it's possible to reach a ceasefire agreement. Just the fact that there are direct talks is, in and of itself, a significant diplomatic accomplishment, but it doesn't mean they're going to lead anywhere. And this could end just as and just as quickly as we saw the U.S.-Iran talks end in Pakistan. So, it's not clear that there will be any sort of resolution here, and we can see the war between Israel and Hezbollah continue.

Now, this has bigger picture implications for the region because of the attempts to reach a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. Iran has insisted that Lebanon be a part of that ceasefire. The U.S. and Israel insist that Lebanon be treated as its own arena. So, the continued fighting, the continued war between Israel and Hezbollah very much has the potential to preemptively derail any larger effort to try to end the war with Iran. And that's why all of this is so significant.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at his government meeting, which was held a short time ago earlier this meeting, said he supports the U.S. attempt to impose a naval blockade on Iranian ports. He says he spoke with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance as Vance was on his flight from Islamabad, Pakistan, back to the U.S. He insists there is coordination between Israel and the U.S. across all of this. John.

BERMAN: Oren Liebermann for us in Tel Aviv. Thank you so much for that reporting, Oren. Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right. Let's talk more about all of this. Joining me right now, CNN senior military analyst, retired Admiral James Stavridis. Thank you so much for being here. Focusing in on this blockade that is set to set in, according to U.S. Central Command, at 10 a.m. Eastern. If this happens, what is a blockade going to look like in reality, Admiral? And practically, what is going to be required of the U.S. Navy to pull it off?

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST, FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER AND PARTNER, THE CARLYLE GROUP: Well, let's start with a little bit of confusion over what the intent is here. What we heard from President Trump initially was a full and complete blockade, a shutdown, if you will, of the Strait of Hormuz. What has now developed and what we're hearing from Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander, is more nuanced than I think the right answer, which is to blockade the Iranian ports. That's an important distinction.

So, let's assume it's the latter. How do you do that? You need one or two aircraft carriers in the region to put up air cover. You need a dozen surface combatants, Kate, so cruisers, frigates, destroyers, to actually station themselves off the Iranian ports. You need a couple of dozen small, fast patrol craft. The Emirates and the Saudis have this kind of craft, corvettes, patrol boats. And then you're going to need land-based air to maintain air superiority. So, this will be a huge and resource-intensive effort.

And I'll close with this. The good news is, having now pounded the Iranians militarily, this goes after their economy. But it does it in a way that doesn't blow up the entire oil infrastructure. So, let's see how the blockade unfolds. But it's going to be resource intensive and it could be very risky.

[07:40:00] BOLDUAN: Play something that Democratic Senator Mark Warner said about this and the question on the connection between imposing a blockade and the broader objective of the United States to get the Strait of Hormuz fully reopened. Let me play this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): But I don't understand how blockading the Strait is going to somehow push the Iranians into opening it. I don't get the connection there. You're going to see these energy prices continue at record levels, not for weeks, but months and years. And how blockading the Strait gets it gets it open suddenly? I don't get that logic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: What do you think of that?

STAVRIDIS: I think that is a very common response across the country is just head scratching. How does this work? And this gets back, Kate, to where we started the conversation. It's the distinction between simply shutting down the Strait completely, which is what I think Senator Warner is responding to, and the more nuanced closure of the Iranian ports.

Because these are two different tasks. Blockading Iran will, in fact, hurt their economy deeply. They depend on oil coming out of those ports. The second task is to open the Strait for everybody else. That's where I think this has landed in the cold light of a Monday morning.

So, watch for U.S. Navy and hopefully European minesweepers to go into that Strait next, clear it for everybody else while we blockade the Iranian ports. I think that is what the administration is intending here.

BOLDUAN: Does it effectively do what they are intending, which would be cripple the Iranian economy? Do you think a blockade like this can completely stop Iranians from getting their oil out, or is there -- are there cracks in the system?

STAVRIDIS: Of course, there will be cracks in the system. Think back to our own history, Kate. American Civil War, the North blockaded the South. Thousands of miles of coastline took hundreds and hundreds of U.S. Navy ships. Plan Anaconda, named for the snake that constricts its opponent.

What the administration aims to do is to accomplish that. But it could take time. It took three years plus in the American Civil War to really bring that Confederate economy to its knees. That's the hope here.

And last thought, we should recognize Iran will continue to have options here. They can put more mines in the Strait. They can use terrorism globally. They can use cyber-attacks, perhaps aided by the Russians. They still have cards to play. And the one that worries me the most, they could go after the Gulf Arab states' oil infrastructure using short-range ballistic missiles and terror. So, this scaring contest between Tehran and Washington is about to come to a culmination. We'll see who blinks.

BOLDUAN: My goodness. Admiral, thank you very much for coming in. John.

BERMAN: All right. Breaking this morning. The extraordinary attack on Pope Leo XIV from the president and the just as extraordinary response from the pontiff. After the president criticized the pope's anti-war stance and said he did not like him, the pope this morning said he's not afraid of the Trump administration. And then reportedly, when asked about a Truth Social post, he pushed back saying, quote, it's ironic. The name of the site itself. Say no more.

Let's get to see a Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb who is traveling with the pope. You were in Algeria. You were on that plane where those extraordinary comments were made. What did you hear?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, there was extraordinary and very strong comments from Pope Leo. Of course, I was among a group of journalists who travel, traveled with the pope to Algeria. He came to the back of the plane as is his custom.

And he was asked about Trump's Truth Social post, that extraordinary broadside against Pope Leo. And he had a really a consistent message that was, I'm not a politician. I don't want to get into a back and forth, but I'm going to continue to speak out. And he said, blessed are the peacemakers. Here is some more of what Leo had to say on board the plane.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO XIV: I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration nor speaking out loudly about the message of the gospel, and that's what I believe.

[07:45:00]

I am called to know what the church is called to do. We're not politicians. We're not looking to make foreign policies policy with the same perspective that he might understand it, but I do believe that the message of the gospel, blesses are the peacemakers, is the message of the world needs to be.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much for clarifying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAMB: Well, John, you know, Pope Leo has in recent days been much more outspoken about the war in the Middle East and in Iran in particular. And as pope, he is something of a counterweight diplomatically, spiritually to President Trump.

Of course, Leo is the first American pope and he was addressing some of us reporters today in English, his words are clearly cutting through to the president who launched that extraordinary attack. It does seem, though, that Pope Leo is unperturbed, unafraid and continuing to speak out for peace as he has as he arrived here in Algiers for the first part of a four-country tour of Africa. John.

BERMAN: So, Christopher, with Pope Francis before him, Pope Leo's predecessor, occasionally you would have the president and the pope speaking past each other with vague, veiled references. I don't know if it's because English is the first language for Pope Leo.

This seemed to be a much more of a direct response to the president's words than I feel like I have heard before here. Is there a reason for that? And what more do we expect from Pope Leo on this trip to Africa?

LAMB: Well, I think it is partly to do with the fact that Leo is an American and he has English as a mother tongue. And, you know, I spoke to Leo, asked him a question just before Easter about a message he had for President Trump. And Leo said to me he hopes President Trump finds an off ramp to end the war in Iran.

You know, I think what we're seeing here is a clash between a pope who wants to communicate this message of peace, of bridge building, of trying to build relations between faiths, between Christians and Muslims. He's here in Algeria in a predominantly Muslim country. And so, I think the stark contrast between the first American pope and the U.S. president at this time couldn't be stronger.

And, of course, it was viewed for decades that it was impossible for the cardinals to elect an American pope. Why did they change that? Well, partly because of the election of President Trump. And that is part, I think, of some of the conflict and back and forth that we've seen today.

BERMAN: It really is extraordinary to hear his direct responses to the criticism. Christopher Lamb, great to have you there on board that flight for what is already a remarkable, remarkable journey. Appreciate it.

All right. This morning, a major political defeat for the president overseas. New reaction after one of the president's closest international allies was pushed out. Voters ousted Hungary's far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban, ending his 16-year grip on power. Orban conceded to opposition leader Peter Magyar, who promised to steer Hungary back toward the European Union. At a victory parade in Budapest, Magyar told his supporters they have, quote, "liberated Hungary."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm really excited because it's going to be a new thing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I never thought this would actually happen. I've been praying for this for 16 years, so I'm super happy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hungary is free now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, President Trump, like, overtly pushed for Orban's election. The vice president, J.D. Vance, was just there last week on a campaign trip. So, this is a remarkable rebuke inside that nation.

All right. New details after a group of men stormed into a Chick-fil- A, went behind the counter, and started shooting. And the so-called miracle trend to slow down aging, why Robert Kennedy Jr. says he is a fan.

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[07:50:00]

BOLDUAN: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is marking 100 days in office with a big rally, talking about pothole politics and even his promised city-owned grocery stores. CNN's Gloria Pazmino has much more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was a celebratory event to mark Mayor Zohran Mamdani's first 100 days in office, an opportunity for him to double down on his political identity as a democratic socialist. It was shortly after he was inaugurated in January that he told New Yorkers he would govern as a democratic socialist despite the criticism. And today, he said his administration has showed that a democratic socialist like him can actually govern in a complicated place like New York City.

Mamdani also used the opportunity to roll out some new initiatives, including a program to better collect the city garbage. He said that the city is working on a plan to create more bus lanes around the city to help New Yorkers get around. And he is hoping to soon deliver on a campaign promise to open the city's first government subsidized grocery store in East Harlem. Here's a bit of what the mayor had to say.

[07:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D-NY): It is I said on that freezing January afternoon to more than eight and a half million New Yorkers. We will make no apology for what we believe. Socialists and I will govern as a democratic. Socialists are treated with dignity and where New Yorkers can actually afford to shop. At our stores, eggs will be cheaper. Bread will be cheaper. Grocery shopping will no longer be an unsolvable equation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now, Mamdani was elected on a promise to tackle the city's affordability crisis. He also promised to create universal child care, make the city buses fast and free, and freeze the rent for rent stabilized New Yorkers. And while he hasn't delivered on all of those promises completely, he has begun to lay some of the groundwork that will be needed to deliver on those promises.

Now, Mamdani has a few headwinds ahead of him, mainly a complicated budget picture here in New York City. The city is facing a $5 billion budget deficit, which Mamdani and the city council are trying to negotiate in order to come up with funding to close that gap. That funding is going to be key for Mamdani to deliver on many of those campaign promises.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Officials in New Jersey say a deadly shooting at a Chick-fil- A restaurant was not a random attack. One person was killed, six others injured. No one in custody at this point. Officials are offering a $10,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest.

This morning, the suspects in a deadly firework warehouse explosion in Northern California are set to be arraigned. Seven people were killed in the blast last July. Five people were charged with murder, including the property owner, who is a former police lieutenant.

New video this morning of a suspected burglar disguised as a construction worker. Police in Santa Ana, California say the thief stole thousands of dollars' worth of jewelry, designer handbags, and a safe containing over $6,000 in cash, also personal documents, before leaving in a white pickup truck. This morning, he's still on the run.

Eight people in Salt Lake County, Utah, just set the record for the most fast-food restaurants visited on foot in a single day. 176 establishments, beating the previous record by 26 stops. They say they had to be strategic. They ordered at every restaurant they went to. They had to be strategic, they say, when they went, because they wanted to get through quickly and they didn't want to get sick. So, they got a lot of cookies, a lot of chips, a lot of side dishes.

BOLDUAN: That's a way to not get sick.

BERMAN: Well, it's better than getting like 150 tacos, right, or like, can I have 76 Big Macs, please?

BOLDUAN: One Big Mac for all of us.

BERMAN: Splitting it. So, apparently, Kate, they traveled like a total of 40 to 50 miles, which is good because, you know, you have to burn off all that fast-food.

BOLDUAN: Yes. So, congratulations is in order for them.

BERMAN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Yes. You want to do that?

BERMAN: When -- I drove cross country after college and we tried to eat only at fast food places, yes, that was over three weeks and I came back about 15 pounds heavier. It sounds like -- I look like someone inflated me with a bike pump.

BOLDUAN: Ouch, I hurt my back. When you make me laugh too hard, it hurts my back. Anyway, it's because I'm not allowed to have joy. Thanks.

You have likely scrolled past them on TikTok. Wellness influencers, elite athletes alike, all pushing peptides, promising to help with everything from faster recovery, maybe to reduce bloating like JB would need, slower aging, burning and building muscle. But now federal officials are starting to pay attention too.

CNN's Jacqueline Howard has much more. She's joining us now. And this is definitely a lot of people are talking about this. What exactly is known and how exactly are they regulated?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Yes, peptides are such a buzzword right now, Kate. What they are, are actually short chains of amino acids. And amino acids are basically the building blocks of protein and they naturally occur in our bodies. But when people say they're taking peptides, they're referring to taking a synthetic form, either in the version of a supplement or medication, and it can be taken as an injection or by mouth.

And there are three different ways to look at peptides. First, there are the FDA approved ones like GLP-1s, the popular diabetes and weight loss drugs. They are peptides. The second way to look at these here, there are also FDA approved peptides that are sometimes used off label.

And an example of that, one is called tesamorelin. It's a peptide that has been FDA approved specifically for HIV patients. But some people without HIV take tesamorelin off label to lose abdominal fat. So, that's the second category.

The third way to look at peptides, there's a rising wild, wild west.

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