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50 Million from Texas to Wisconsin Under Severe Storm Threat Today; Trump Downplays Length of War, Says It's Going Along Swimmingly; Airlines Urge Governments to Prepare for Jet Fuel Rationing. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired April 17, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Bracing for another round, violent weather has been a constant all week. The threat continues today in the Central United States. The perfect recipe for a severe storm outbreak from Texas to Wisconsin, says the experts.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, a singer arrested accused of killing a 14-year-old girl whose body was found dismembered in his car last year. So, what took so long to make the arrest?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And galloping justice in New York, new video of a police officer on horseback chasing down a suspected purse snatcher.

I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Bolduan and John Berman. This CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: All right. We begin with the severe weather threat that is just not letting up, the dangerous storms that slammed huge parts of the country already packing one final punch. For some, today could be the most intense yet. More than 50 million people are under severe weather threats from Texas to Wisconsin. There's the threat of thunderstorms, tornadoes, and large hail all in areas that have already taken a serious beating this week.

Over the past four days, there have been more than three dozen tornado reports and over 300 reports of hail. One county in Kansas declared an emergency after a massive hail. I mean, we've been talking about like softball-sized hail just pounded neighborhoods there. Extensive damage also reported in Ohio.

In other parts of the country, powerful tornadoes just shredded homes, uprooting trees, downing power lines, Wisconsin particularly hard hit. Our CNN affiliate reporting a 41-year-old truck driver was actually struck and killed by lightning during one of these storms.

The Great Lakes is already dealing with significant flooding. Officials are keeping a close eye on several key dams that have been already under stress from one of the historic rains that has -- from the historic rain that has already fallen this week. A flashflood watch is in effect for the area where water in the White River could soon spill over the dam.

So, as we can see, and this is in Michigan, a lot of the flooding we've been seeing is throughout Michigan right now.

There's so much going on. Let's get over to CNN's Allison Chinchar, who's watching it all for us. Allison, let's begin where we did yesterday. Where do you want to begin?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So let's kind of take a focused look on portions of the Midwest and also into the areas farther down into the south. It's all because of this low pressure system that you see here.

Now, on the backside of it, you have quite cool temperatures, but out ahead of it, incredibly warm. Take a look at the stark difference here, 82 for the high today in Chicago, only 66 in Minneapolis. And it's that clash of those cold temperatures and the incredible warmth that's really going to fuel a lot of the thunderstorms that we anticipate having today.

Here is the area for the greatest threat. Again, this goes from the up of Michigan all the way back down to Texas. The main concern is really going to be damaging winds because that is going to be widespread along that entire line. We will also have some tornadoes, some of which could be strong. We're talking EF-3 or even perhaps stronger, and large hail, again, you're talking tennis ball-sized hail with some of these storms.

Now, when we talked about the tornadoes, again, the greatest threat, especially for those EF-2 and 3s, is really going to be in kind of this hatched area that you see here. Now, we also have the potential for some straight line winds, and some of those could be 70 or even 80-mile-per-hour straight line winds. So, again, very concerning forecast for this afternoon.

You'll start to notice some of these more discreet cells popping up around 2:00, 3:00, 4:00 this afternoon. Then it kind of congeals more into a little bit of a line around dinner time. However, you could still have some tornadoes embedded within that line.

Then we really start to see the whole line really fully formed by about 8:00, 9:00 tonight. Then as it slides off to the east to the overnight hours, it does weaken a little bit. I don't want to say weaken completely. You are still going to have some strong thunderstorms, even from that midnight to 6:00 A.M. timeline, just not as potent as we are expecting to see this afternoon and into the overnight hours.

[07:05:01]

Also, rainfall is still going to be a concern, especially for those states like Michigan and Wisconsin that have already had more than enough.

BOLDUAN: Understatement, more than enough. I mean, the rain has just not let up in places like Michigan. Thank you so much, Allison. I really appreciate it.

The video coming in this week has been just crazy.

BERMAN: I was just going to say this week, man, on the weather.

All right, this morning, a new day, the same question. Will there be a new round of talks between the United States and Iran? The president said it could happen as soon as this weekend, but still nothing official.

When the war began, the president estimated it would last four to five weeks. It has been nearly seven. This is what he said overnight in Las Vegas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I will say the war in Iran is going along swimmingly. We can do whatever we want. And it should be ending pretty soon. It was perfect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The president downplayed the rise in gas prices, higher than $5 a gallon in Las Vegas. He's saying they're not very high compared to what they were supposed to be, and he blamed fuel prices for, quote, fake inflation. Gas prices are more than a dollar per gallon higher than they were when the war started, one of the largest increases in that time span on record.

This morning, a ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has taken effect. The nuance is that the fighting in Lebanon has been between Israel and Hezbollah, a militia group. Now, Hezbollah has acknowledged the ceasefire but has not said whether they will abide by it. So far, it seems they have.

Let's get right to CNN's Alayna Treene live at the White House this Friday morning. So, we're do things stand, Alayna?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, this question of whether talks would happen this weekend, I can tell you certainly that has really been the goal that the Trump administration had been working toward. And I think a key question is actually how talks are currently going between Pakistani mediators and the Iranian officials in Tehran.

Right now, they're about to head to their third day of talks. One of the key people I know that the top officials here, including the vice president's team, J.D. Vance, of course, he was the one who had led the talks in Islamabad last weekend. Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, they have been communicating with the Pakistani field marshall, Asim Munir. We know that he has been crucial in these talks inside Iran, as has been the interior minister. They have met with the Iranian president last night.

And so, really, from what I'm picking up on my sources is that depending on how these talks in Tehran are going, you know, and really if they can have the Pakistanis kind of push the Iranians to real levels of compromise that could be a really good sign of how this weekend could go.

And what I'm picking up from my sources, John, is that if the talks are successful enough in Tehran, they could actually get both sides to some sort of, you know, framework or agreement that could have ultimately be signed in Pakistan this weekend.

Now, of course, I think that's the best case scenario. That's a very optimistic view, but that's currently where things stand. And so a lot of attention on what is happening in Iran today and what that could mean for sending, you know, the top officials here in the Trump administration, again, the same people I'm told that we saw lead those talks last week, Vance, Witkoff, Kushner, whether they could go.

Another interesting thing we actually heard from the president as well, and we heard him say this publicly yesterday, it's actually something I was working on reporting out over the couple days, is that if he believes, President Trump believes that there really could be a broader agreement that they could sign in Pakistan this weekend, he would potentially want to go.

I was told from sources that he was thinking about potentially trying to travel and take a victory lap on this. But, again, this is still premature. We have to see whether or not they can actually get to compromise on these key areas of, you know, disagreement that they have had, including on nuclear enrichment, this commitment to never have a nuclear weapon. But as of today, a lot of officials in that building behind me confident at where things stand.

BERMAN: Yes. You know, it's not a quick flight to Pakistan from the United States, I would say. Watch the airport over the next 24 hours, maybe even 12 hours to see movements there. That might tell us a lot about some of the timing here.

Alayna Treene at the White House this morning, scooped by the president on one of your stories, I appreciate it. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Speaking of airports, are your summer travel plans in jeopardy? New warnings that jet fuel supplies in parts of the world could run out in just a few weeks. What you need to know.

Also, new details on a close call at Charlotte Airport, what happened when a pilot realized there was a truck on the runway?

And what do bear costumes and insurance fraud have to do with one another? Details on an elaborate insurance scheme involving fake bear attacks on high-end luxury cars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoever's inside that vehicle is not moving like a bear. It is moving like a human.

(END VIDEO CLIP) [07:10:00]

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SIDNER: This morning, the International Air Transport Association is warning airports that may have to begin rationing jet fuel if the Iran ward doesn't end. Airlines are already feeling the strain from surging jet fuel prices. The head of the International Energy Agency is now warning Europe could run out of jet fuel in just the next six weeks if the Strait of Hormuz remains shut.

CNN's David Goldman is here with us now. Some airlines are already cutting routes and increasing prices or fees to try and offset these costs.

[07:15:05]

And what does this mean potentially? I mean, are we going to see -- are flights canceled if you're planning to head to Europe this summer?

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, that's exactly what we're going to see. I mean, rationing is no joke. Now, we're not quite there yet, but the fact that we're even talking about it suggests that this is a serious situation for airlines.

And so we are not going to run out of jet fuel, let's be clear about that. But what it means is that they're going to compensate, and that's by all the things that we hate about traveling. It's going to be canceled routes, canceled flights, higher airfares. It's not going to be a very pretty summer, unfortunately.

SIDNER: So, Europe is talking about six weeks. They're in much more -- no pun intended, but they're in dire straits in comparison with what's happening in the United States. In that six weeks, what could that mean if the Strait of Hormuz stays shut, in Europe, could we see major differences?

GOLDMAN: Yes. I mean, they're already talking about getting prepared for rationing, which would mean that, you know, a lot of the flights that are already in existence, they're maybe going to get cut. And so you won't have as many options. And supply and demand are the undefeated champions of the economy for about 10,000 years, and so that just means higher prices.

But, you know, one of the reasons that Europe is going to be hit so hard is because although only a fifth of the world's jet fuel comes out of the Strait of Hormuz, 69 percent of that goes to Europe. So, obviously, they're going to get hit hard. Asia's getting hit hard already.

But that will have an effect on the United States, and the reason is that jet fuel sells on a global market, and so it's high here. It's doubled over the course of the war. And so airlines are saying, well, you know, we are going to need to make changes. United has already cut 5 percent of its summer flights, and it said that it costs them $11 billion if this remains -- if this price remains. Just to put that into perspective, the highest profit that they've ever made was $5 billion. So, this is a serious situation.

SIDNER: It really is. And we all know that when those prices go up for them, we feel it, whether it is in cancelations because of a shortage or in the price exactly. Nobody likes that.

GOLDMAN: No, sorry.

SIDNER: But we like you, David Goldman. Thank you for being here.

GOLDMAN: Oh, I'm just a ray of sunshine.

SIDNER: Yes. You brought us a lot of very happy news.

GOLDMAN: Yes.

SIDNER: Thanks a lot.

BOLDUAN: Questionable if we like David Goldman, questionable, but we did almost -- we matched completely yesterday. We are almost matching, our blues.

GOLDMAN: Listen, you know --

BOLDUAN: I didn't get the memo. I did -- I woke up late.

GOLDMAN: That's the thing.

BOLDUAN: Sorry.

SIDNER: Kate's also drinking jet fuel right there, by the way.

BOLDUAN: Let's turn to this story. Some new details you have to hear about. Police have now arrested the singer D4vd on suspicion of killing a young girl. The details about her death are incredibly troubling. Now questions about his own song, lyrics and music videos as possible evidence.

And a moment much bigger than baseball, why a Pirates pitcher was looking forward to the color of his catcher's armband.

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BOLDUAN: The Padres, they just keep on winning. They swept the Mariners last night to run their winning streak up to eight in a row.

CNN's Andy Scholtz has much more. Tell me, Andy, what's the secret?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Good morning, Kate. Well, fun times in San Diego right now. You know, the most dominant force in baseball, right now it's not Ohtani at the plate or Paul Skenes on the mound. It's Padres' closer Mason Miller. The 27-year-old, he came in last night in the ninth. He struck out the side on 14 pitches. And Miller, who threw the fastest recorded pitching baseball history last season at 104.5 miles per hour, he hasn't given up a run in 30 and two thirds innings. He struck out 50 of the last 70 batters he's faced, 20 of the last 23. He's on a historic run.

Miller was also perfect in the World Baseball Classic for Team USA, striking out ten in four innings. Now, the Padres beat the Mariners 5- 2 last night for their eighth win in a row.

Now, Guardians' rookie Parker Messick is not as dominant as Miller, but he was close yesterday in his start against the Orioles. Messick took a no hitter into the ninth inning, but then he gave up a single to Leodi Taveres in the ninth to lead off that inning. He'd give up another single before being removed from the game. The Guardians did hold on to win 4-2. Cleveland has not had a pitcher throw a no-hitter in 45 years. He was close though.

Mike Trout, meanwhile, he continues to remind everyone he's still one of the best players in baseball. He homered yet again yesterday at Yankees Stadium. The three-time MVP leaves the Bronx hitting five home runs in the four-game series, becoming just the fourth player ever to do that. Trout now has seven homers for the season. Angels beat the Yankees yesterday 11-4 to split that series.

Now, great pitching is one way to win a game, I guess so is bunting every time. So, in a wild sequence yesterday, the Brewers bunted three times in a row. Bottom of the seventh, here they bunt to move the runner over to second. Then David Hamilton comes to the plate, he beats out a bunt for a single. So, now they got first and third. Well, then Joey Ortiz comes up, lays down a squeeze bunt. Garrett Mitchell scores. The Brewers end up beating the Blue Jays there 2-1, so all of that bunting ended up winning the game.

All right, and, finally, Braxton Ashcraft and his wife, they knew they were expecting a baby girl, but their families didn't. So, they left the gender reveal up to catcher Joey Bart whether he wear a pink or blue arm sleeve for the game, as you can see there, it was pink. Ashcraft's wife, Cassidy, and the family then celebrating the news that it is a girl there in the stands.

[07:25:02]

That's a pretty unique way to do a gender reveal there, Kate. You know, one of my favorite gender reveals is when they -- you know, couples throw a ball up and then, you know, the husband tries to hit it, and my favorite is when he misses. They have to try to do it again.

BOLDUAN: You are like, and the outcome is -- yes, the gender reveal industry is quite something. But still, that's really adorable to get the team in on the action. Congrats to that family.

Good to see you, buddy. Thank you. Happy Friday.

SCHOLES: All right. Have a good one.

BOLDUAN: See you, buddy. J.B., sorry. BERMAN: I'm just glad it didn't exist when I had kids because it was enough pressure knowing you were going to have kids anyway.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Did you end up finding out for the boys?

BERMAN: Yes. Because we're having twins, you don't want any more surprises. That's like enough. That's like enough.

All right, we are standing by for a new round of testimony from Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., all of a sudden striking a new tone on some of his most controversial positions.

All right, more than 2,000 live ants individually packed each one in its own little container, packed for what you might ask? Why does smuggle through an airport, which turns out, can get you arrested.

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