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DOJ Report: Biden Admin. Singled Out Anti-Abortion Protesters; Source: Trump Officials Discussing Possible 2nd Meeting with Iran; Israel and Lebanon Wrap Up Ceasefire Talks in Washington; Rubio: Hopeful for "Very Positive Progress" at Israel-Lebanon Talks; Reps. Swalwell, Gonzales Resign Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations; Financial Markets Rise Amid Hope of New Peace Talks with Iran; High U.S. Gas Prices Linger as War with Iran Drags on; Husband Details How He Says Wife Fell Overboard in Audio Recording 3-3:30p ET

Aired April 14, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: ... other people to the appropriate departments within DOJ because this -- this report doesn't have legal weight.

ERICA HILL:, CNN HOST: So, I asked, I said, did you refer to the Attorney General, Merrick Garland, former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Vanita Gupta, Kristen Clarke, is that who you're talking about? Because, right, that would make good ...

HILL: Right.

REID: ... on the President's you know wish and the Justice Department would not comment. So, that's something we're continuing to pursue because ...

HILL: Yes.

REID: ... again if they can't get anything on Jack Smith or some of these other cases, this is one avenue they might really try to push.

HILL: Yes, it'd be interesting, and we know you will stay on it, too. Paula, good to see you. Thank you.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Will there be a round two? The President says something could be happening in the next couple of days as the U.S. eyes a fresh set of talks with Iran. We'll bring you the latest.

Plus, scandals on Capitol Hill in the spotlight. The resignation announcements by Congressman Eric Swalwell and the retirement of Tony Gonzales now shifting the focus to other lawmakers dealing with their own controversies.

And extremely online. CNN spends 48 hours with a Twitch streamer who records almost every waking and sleeping moment of her life. An epic journey ahead as we follow these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL. Some breaking news now on the war with Iran. We're following new

details about the possibility of more negotiations between the U.S. and Tehran. Sources tell CNN that White House officials are now eying a second round of talks as we're learning that President Trump just told a New York Post reporter in Pakistan quote, "... stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days."

Just moments ago, we got a new message from Tehran as well and Iranian lawmakers saying that Iran will continue participating in talks to expose U.S. behavior. We're also waiting to learn if any new progress has been made between Israel and Lebanon during a historic sit-down earlier today. Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying that he was hopeful as he led negotiations. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is live for us in Tel Aviv with more details.

Jeremy, what are you hearing?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, we heard the Israeli ambassador to Washington who participated in these two-hour long discussions emerging from them with quite a rosy and optimistic take on these talks. He said that he discovered that Israel and Lebanon are on the same side he said of trying to rid Lebanon of Hezbollah and end what he called Hezbollah's occupation of Lebanon.

Now, we haven't heard from the Lebanese government yet but critically Ambassador Leiter did not address the question of whether or not Israel would agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon and that's because that was the critical demand from the Lebanese side going into these negotiations.

The Lebanese government has effectively said that they will only engage in the substance of the talks about disarming Hezbollah, about potentially establishing peaceful relations with Israel if the Israeli government first ceases fire in Lebanon. And while we certainly have seen a scaling back of Israeli strikes in Lebanon over the course of the last few days particularly in the capital of Beirut where we haven't seen any Israeli strikes since late last week Israel has continued to carry out attacks killing at least 35 people in the last 24 hours according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

And the Israeli ambassador basically evaded questions about whether or not Israel would agree to a ceasefire. He didn't say no outright. He certainly did not say yes, but he made clear that Israel would continue to defend its citizens in northern Israel who even tonight even as those negotiations were taking place have been coming under persistent rocket fire from Hezbollah.

We're, again, waiting to hear from the Lebanese side as well but this certainly was a historic meeting, the first -- the highest-level meeting I should say between Israeli and Lebanese officials in more than 40 years. Boris.

SANCHEZ: Jeremy, meantime the economic strain on Tehran continues to build as this U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports now gets into the 29th almost 30th hour what are you hearing is happening there. DIAMOND: Yes, I mean U.S. Central Command has put in enormous

resources to try and enforce this blockade and they are saying that within the first 24 hours of this blockade being in place no ships have been able to cross that line that U.S. ships have established. It's an effort involving more than 10,000 U.S. service members more than a dozen ships, more than a dozen aircraft also patrolling the area as well. At least six ship -- merchant ships have been made to turn around by the U.S. military according to CENTCOM.

We did see however according to marine tracking data at least two ships that were tied to Iran that have previously been sanctioned by the United States, they did go through the Strait of Hormuz but it's not clear whether they were originating from Iranian ports which would have made them subject to this blockade.

[15:05:07]

But ultimately it's going to be a question of what the actual impact of this is. Clearly, President Trump put this blockade in place as an effort to try and pressure Iran at the negotiating table. It hasn't resulted in a return to war. The ceasefire is still holding between the United States and Iran but now the question is, is this going to hurt Iran more than the United States economically? There certainly will be hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue for Iran if they're not able to export their oil. But that loss of oil exports is also going to affect global oil prices and therefore prices at the pump in the United States and the political problems could mount for President Trump as a result.

So, a very dicey situation we're waiting to see again when and if those talks resume. Boris.

SANCHEZ: Jeremy Diamond live for us in Tel Aviv, thank you so much. Erica.

HILL: We do have breaking news here in Washington. Congressman Eric Swalwell and Congressman Tony Gonzales have now both officially resigned from Congress. On Monday, both lawmakers announced their plans to resign. Gonzales had said he planned to retire, it's important to note. All of this coming amid serious allegations of sexual misconduct.

Swalwell is facing multiple allegations, including one from a former staffer who accused him of sexual assault. Gonzales acknowledged last month he had an affair with the staffer who later died by suicide. Both were facing possible expulsion votes this week if they did not step down. CNN's Lauren Fox is on Capitol Hill. She joins us now live.

So, Lauren, what more do we know about the -- what has now officially started in terms of this process and what comes next?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we know that both men have officially submitted their resignation letters and one of those letters from Representative Eric Swalwell was obtained by our Hill team member Annie Grayer. In the letter he writes, quote, "I am aware of efforts to bring an

immediate expulsion vote against me and other members. Expelling anyone in Congress without due process within days of an allegation being made is wrong but it is also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress effective at 2 P.M. Eastern Standard Time on April 14, 2026."

So, obviously that was just a short time ago. But this had been building over the course of the last 24 and 48 hours as there was additional pressure coming from members like Representative Anna Paulina Luna who was threatening to force an expulsion vote of both of these members if they did not resign by this afternoon.

So, obviously now that has transpired, but this obviously moving in rapid succession given the fact that lawmakers are now just back from that Easter recess. Erica.

HILL: Yes, absolutely. We're also hearing from other members of Congress including a longtime ally of Swalwell, Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona. The two were very close he says they are now no longer friends and talked more about the allegations. What is he saying today?

FOX: Yes. I mean, I talked to him last night. He also did another press conference this afternoon where he answered a lot of reporter questions about his relationship with Eric Swalwell, their friendship, what he did or didn't know and he repeatedly told me last night and today in this press conference that he had no idea about these allegations. He said that he did not suspect this and he repeatedly accused Swalwell of living a double life. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RUBEN GALLEGO (D-AZ): The women that came forward are courageous and they still deserve justice. But to be clear again I also had no knowledge of predatory behavior, sexual assault or harassment. This man led a double life. He lied to us, he lied to his family, he lied to his constituents. Some of the most powerful people in this country, you know, even before he ran he was trusted with some -- some, you know, positions that normally we would never think someone like this could do if they're leading that double life. And, again, I was manipulated, I was lied to and the -- everyone else was too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: And Erica, this is obviously begging questions on Capitol Hill about what more needs to be done in this institution to protect women who may have complaints against their employers. I asked Senator Chuck Schumer about this just a short time ago and he said essentially that women need to be protected in this institution, anyone needs to be protected in this institution. But, obviously, in the House some of these offices are really small. They don't have HR staff and, you know, obviously that can become a major and mounting problem if women have concerns, where do they turn?

HILL: Yes. It is an important question. Lauren, really appreciate it, thank you.

Still ahead here this hour, we're keeping a close watch on oil prices as they rise that of course brings a lot of other prices along with them, goods and services becoming new more expensive. We're going to dig into some brand-new numbers when it comes to inflation.

Plus, the American man who told officials his wife fell overboard and then vanished into rough waters in the Bahamas, released from custody. New details in that case and investigation.

[15:10:04]

And why dozens of hippos linked to the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar are set to be euthanized in Colombia. That and much more ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[15:14:37]

SANCHEZ: With less than an hour until the closing bell, U.S. financial markets are on the upswing as investors are encouraged by the possibility that peace talks between the U.S. and Iran may continue. That is despite a new report showing that wholesale inflation jumped in March to a three-year high. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich joins us now.

Vanessa, walk us through the details in this new report.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, inflation jumping on an annual basis to a three-year high for producers, for businesses.

[15:15:06]

These are what businesses pay in terms of prices, but actually much better than expected. And here's why -- why I'll say that. In terms of the monthly change for prices that producers are paying every single month, it was actually up 0.5 percent in the month of March. That is kind of in line with what we've been seeing over the last few months. The big jump is on an annual basis, up now 4 percent. That is well above what we've seen.

And you can see there on that bar chart, look at the right-hand side of your screen, that 0.5 percent monthly change is kind of in line with what we had been seeing. And that's why it's considered better than expected. The expectation for a monthly jump was 1.1 percent and 4.6 percent on an annual basis.

That is because investors and experts were expecting that energy prices, because of the war with Iran, would have a significant impact on businesses, and it certainly did. Energy prices did rise by 8.5 percent, led by gas prices at 15.7 percent, that accounted for half of the monthly increase.

But we also saw some drops. You had food prices actually coming down 0.3 percent. Another reason why things weren't as hot at a monthly level was because you had goods rising 1.6 percent, but then you had services staying flat. So that helped balance it out a little bit. And this is an important indicator, guys, because essentially, Boris, this is a forward-looking measure in terms of what is potentially to come for consumers.

But look at markets right now. U.S. markets reacting positively to this report. Even though inflation did heat up, it was better than expected. And then, also investors on Wall Street, very hopeful over comments that the Trump administration is starting to seek a second round of talks with Iran. Of course, that is good news in terms of trying to seek out a deal between the two countries. That, of course, will impact oil prices and energy prices and ultimately inflation. Trying to get all of those to move down in a downward trajectory, talks could certainly help all of that.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you so much for that.

The prospect of peace talks also pushing oil and gas prices slightly lower today, though, as you can see, the average price of gas dropped slightly overnight. It's still much higher than it was before the start of the war. For more on that, let's go to CNN's Rafael Romo, who's at a gas station in Atlanta for us, speaking to the folks that are feeling the pain at the pump.

Rafael, what did they share with you?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, not very happy people here. Although, I have to say that I have found both people who support the war in spite of the gas prices and people who are against the whole thing. And the reality here is that between Monday and today, Boris, gas prices have moved in the right direction, but only one cent per gallon down when it comes to the national average for regular gas.

The shipping blockade against Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz by the U.S. military on President Trump's orders is only expected to further tighten the global oil supplies. After Brent Crude, the global oil benchmark rose 7 percent to $102 a barrel on Monday. Earlier this morning, the price went down by 0.8 percent on the day at $98.60 a barrel. The WTI, the U.S. benchmark, dropped 2 percent to $97.10 a barrel.

And prices went down in part because some analysts are still hopeful that the U.S. and Iran might still reach some kind of deal to end the war. Earlier, we spoke to a driver here at this gas station in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood who told us he's thinking about the people most affected by high prices, those living paycheck to paycheck. Let's take a listen.

And this gentleman was telling us that he used to be able to fill up his Ford Expedition for $40. Imagine that, Boris. Now it costs about $70. To put it in perspective, Brent Crude has gone up by 40 percent since the beginning of the war, while the WTI, the U.S. benchmark, has risen a whopping 50 percent.

According to AAA, the national average price of gasoline today is $4.12, down $0.01 from Monday and $0.05 since the peak of $4.17 reached last Thursday. But let's remember, Boris, that it was $2.98 when the war started. Now, back to you.

SANCHEZ: Rafael Romo live for us in Atlanta, thank you so much.

Coming up, the husband of a missing Michigan woman speaking out after being released from custody in the Bahamas. What he is now saying about her disappearance. Stay with us.

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[15:24:37]

SANCHEZ: The husband of a Michigan mom who went missing in the Bahamas is now out of police custody. The Royal Bahamas Police Force released Brian Hooker last night without charging him, but the investigation continued.

HILL: Hooker actually told CBS News after his release that he does not plan to stop looking for his wife, Lynette. He says on April 4th, she fell overboard while they were boating near Elbow Cay. We're hearing more now as well of his account from an audio recording that was shared with CNN. CNN's Dianne Gallagher joins us now with more on that.

[15:25:05]

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, you know, Erica, Lynette Hooker's family has basically said the entire time that there was something about Brian Hooker's original story to police that didn't make sense to them. They felt like it didn't add up. So, we want you to hear what he told friends in his own words. Blaine Stevenson recorded this conversation that happened the day before Brian was taken into police custody.

Now, he did not tell Brian that he was recording him, but he said that he did it because of some of the locations. He wasn't quite familiar with them and then said that he published it because once Brian was detained, he couldn't speak for himself. He said that he also wanted to maybe be able to help those who were searching for Lynette who could listen to this story in the locations and also that those in the sailing community would be able to perhaps determine whether or not this seemed accurate.

So, I want you to take a listen to some of the clips from that conversation where Brian describes a very chaotic series of events on April 4th that led to Lynette falling overboard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN HOOKER: She basically just bounced off the dinghy in the middle of a little blow, like 20-some knot winds that popped up in a -- on a (INAUDIBLE) half-mile maybe trip back to the dinghy, and single thing failed -- every single thing. We weren't wearing life jackets. (INAUDIBLE) it was sundown and the sunset like basically 10 minutes after she fell over. Dinghy key are with her because it wasn't clipped to anything or anybody and she had the spare dinghy in her dry bag, which was with her.

The wind blew us apart so fast that I think -- I think she tried to swim back to the sailboat, back to our sailboat, which was probably, I don't know, a thousand yards or something. But the waves were three foot and I was trying to shift the oars and one of the pins on the oars broke and that (expletive) dropped over the side. And I was yelling for the whole time and I yelled to her that I lost an oar.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: Now, back on April 11th, Brian Hooker's attorney said she couldn't confirm whether he was the voice in that recording. She has not answered subsequent questions from us about it. Brian Hooker then washed up around eight hours after he says Lynette fell in the water a few miles across the water in Marsh Harbour. And that's when he reported her missing around four o'clock in the morning on Easter Sunday. He, of course, has not been charged with anything. Police in the Bahamas are asking anyone who might have information about what happened to Lynette on the night of April 4th to please contact authorities.

HILL: All right, Dianne. Really appreciate those updates. Thank you.

We are following these developments here in Washington where two members of Congress have just resigned over sexual misconduct allegations. You'll hear directly from House Member Debbie Dingell next.

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