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Trump Predicts Deal with Iran; Rep. Julie Johnson (D-TX) is Interviewed about Iran; Fed Chair Nominee Faces Hearing; Virginia Voters Decide on New Map; Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Could Face Expulsion. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired April 21, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS TECH REPORTER: Scrolling, algorithmically- driven feeds.

Parents have really sort of rallied around the Senate's version of the Kids Online Safety Act. That would impose a duty of care on these tech platforms to design their tools and their products to be safe for minors from the beginning.

And as you said, this is now not just about social media. Among the group that is going to Capitol Hill today is at least one mom who blames an A.I. chatbot for the suicide death of her son. So, parents would also like to see safety regulations around A.I. tools.

One of the things that parents are really concerned about here is potential federal legislation that would preempt state laws. They feel like states have been out ahead on this issue. They do not want that undone, even as they are hoping for a federal law here.

And these parents are really hopeful that the verdicts that we saw last month in California against Meta and YouTube, in New Mexico against Meta, are going to give them more momentum in this fight. They're actually planning to print out and display and hand out internal documents from these companies that were uncovered as evidence in those trials that they feel really reinforced the stories that they've been telling about the impacts of these platforms on their children.

I spoke with one father, an advocate, Todd Minor. He told me, "it's time for lawmakers to choose: are they going to side with kids and the safety of our children, or with big tech?" So, that is really going to be the message of today's event.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I mean it's really important. There's a lot of agreement if you look at polling that something should be done to keep kids safe. But in the end, getting Congress to do something these days is extremely difficult. That's an understatement, I think.

DUFFY: Yes.

SIDNER: Clare Duffy, thank you for your reporting. Really important.

DUFFY: Thank you.

SIDNER: A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Any moment the vice president set to depart for Pakistan. What is his mission for a second round of negotiations with Iran, and what can he realistically pull off this time?

And also just in, we have new comments coming in from President Trump setting the stage and the table for what could happen.

Right now polls are also open in a special election that may shift the balance of power in the House. The battle in Virginia today that could set a serious stage for a midterm fight ahead.

And today also marks ten years since the death of the artist Prince. And he's getting a big hometown celebration.

John is out today. I'm Kate Bolduan, with Sara Sidner. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

All right, got a lot of developments coming in this morning and a lot of breaking news also coming in.

President Trump is now speaking out and predicting a great deal is to be had with Iran, despite the fact that Tehran has repeatedly said it still is not yet ready to return to the negotiating table even. I want to play for you what the president just told CNBC moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I think is that we're going to end up with a great deal. I think it's got -- I think they have no choice. It is regime change no matter what you want to call it, which is not something I said I was going to do, but I've done it, indirectly maybe, but I've done it. And I think we're in a very strong negotiating position to do what other presidents should have done during a 47-year period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: The president also said that he -- said that going into this he is expecting to be bombing if there is no deal to be had, and this ceasefire does expire.

His comments come just as J.D. Vance, the vice president, is expected to be departing Washington today and lead the U.S. delegation to Pakistan for, we continue to need to call them potential talks because we don't know yet if Iran is planning to attend.

Also this morning, the Pentagon announced that U.S. forces intercepted and boarded a tanker in the Indian Ocean that had been sanctioned for transporting Iranian oil previously.

CNN's Alayna Treene is live at the White House with much more for us this morning.

What more are we hearing from the president as we prepare for the vice president to head out?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, he's obviously trying to show some optimism about these talks in one breath while also in the next, as you pointed out, Kate, saying that they are prepared to move forward with the president's previous threats prior to this two-week ceasefire about bombing Iranian infrastructure and bridges and whatnot. He said he would prefer to go in with the posture that they will bomb and move forward with those military plans if a deal is not reached when this ceasefire expires.

Now, as for the question about when this ceasefire expires, I'd remind you that two weeks from when he set that ceasefire deadline would have initially been this evening. The president said it's actually going to be tomorrow evening, which is helpful given that the talks are expected to take place in Islamabad tomorrow.

But then he said this about the timeline of whether or not he would extend it further if the progression of talks is successful.

Listen.

[09:05:02]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I don't want to do that. We don't have that much time because by the time both parties get there, you know, they just got the OK to go forward, which I knew they were going to do anyway. I mean, I don't think they had a choice. They have to negotiate. And, you know, the one thing I'll say is this. Iran can get themself at a very good footing if they make a deal. They can make themselves into a strong nation again, a wonderful nation again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, look, the thing I took away there is that he's obviously maintaining, Kate, that he does not want to extend the ceasefire. He said, I don't -- we don't have that much time. But, of course, this also is in line with what I've been told from my conversations with Trump administration officials is that he's trying to keep the pressure on Iran. He doesn't want to -- from the get go now, try to extend these talks further, try to give the Iranians more time to maybe, you know, try to get more out of these negotiations than what they could in this short time frame.

So, we really have to see how this all plays out and also how these talks end up going tomorrow in Islamabad. Of course, if the Iranians show up and they do take off in the timeline that White House officials believe they will.

BOLDUAN: All right, Alayna, thank you so much. Much more to come.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right. Joining me now, Democratic Congresswoman Julie Johnson of Texas. She serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

First, just to get your response to what we're hearing from President Trump now. He just spoke on CNBC. He says, look, we're starting at a very strong negotiating position. Is the U.S. in a very strong negotiating position?

REP. JULIE JOHNSON (D-TX): Well, it's hard to tell. You know, gas prices are at an all-time high and the war has not gone as Trump has predicted on multiple occasions. I'm really happy to see us sending an envoy back to Pakistan to resume negotiations. We absolutely want this war to end. We also want a denuclearized Iran. That is certainly a goal of the American people. We don't want Iran to have nuclear weapons.

But this war has been anything but, as Trump has predicted. You know, he's consistently all over the board. We want peace. And then he goes on these unhinged rants of open the Strait now and all that sort of stuff. So, his rhetoric is unpredictable. Maybe that's part of his strategy. But it certainly doesn't bode well for a steady American course.

SIDNER: Look, Trump says he expects to be bombing, in his words, if negotiators don't reach a deal. If the Strait of Hormuz isn't actually opened, do you want them to extend the ceasefire, or would you want the opposite, which is what Donald Trump is offering?

JOHNSON: Well, I -- you know, I think Congress is the only ones that have the ability to declare war on another country. I think Trump is acting without proper authorization. You know, I supported the war powers resolution in Congress to restrict this. I think if he engages in bombing and especially if he engages in boots on the ground, that's something he doesn't have the unilateral authority to do. And that needs to be a national conversation as to whether or not that is a priority for the American government. So, no, I don't think he should just go rogue and threaten bombings and this, that and the other.

You know, the American people are suffering. This war is costing billions of dollars a day at a time when gas prices are at all-time high, health care is out of control due to his assault on the Affordable Care Act. Due to his tariffs, groceries and other prices are at an all-time high. This is not popular with the American people, and he knows it.

SIDNER: Can you give us some sense of how you think and what you expect from Vice President J.D. Vance, who now, according to the president, has until tomorrow night when he says the ceasefire, that's when he says the ceasefire ends. Do you have any confidence that he can get a deal done?

JOHNSON: Well, I hope so. You know, I think, obviously, getting a deal worked out means you have to meet and you have to sit down and talk. And so I'm happy that we're going. I think that's a good step that the United States is engaging in peace talks. That's absolutely what we want. And I'm really hopeful.

I mean, we all would love to see this conflict come to an end. So, hopefully the vice president has the authority to actually negotiate something that could be meaningful and that we could all put this chapter behind us.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you about reporting on the FBI director, Kash Patel. He's now suing "The Atlantic," denying the details of a story it published where its sources accused Patel of having a serious drinking problem that has been obvious in public, they said, and privately. In one part of it, it says, on multiple occasions in the past years, members of his security detail had difficulty waking Patel up because he was seemingly intoxicated. Have you heard of this kind of behavior and what is your concern here?

JOHNSON: Well, Kash Patel is the worst FBI director this country has ever had. And I think it's very interesting that he's suing for defamation when, you know, journalism has done a thorough investigation on him. He has been unhinged. He has -- he is the singularly worst FBI director.

[09:10:00]

And so, I don't think his lawsuit has merit. I think "The Atlantic" will prevail. And it's -- but it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out.

SIDNER: You call him the singularly worst FBI director. How so?

JOHNSON: Well, his policies are rogue. He doesn't follow the law. He is erratic. He's inconsistent. And he's not a good representative of the United States government and law enforcement.

SIDNER: Well, so far, the White House is strongly sticking by Patel. But according to sources to "The Atlantic," he has, for a while now, been very paranoid, been very worried that he's going to be fired. Should he be?

JOHNSON: I think so. I don't think he's done the job well. I don't think he has served the men and women of the FBI well. And I absolutely think he should be fired.

SIDNER: Congressman Julie Johnson, I do appreciate your time. We are waiting, moments from now, for the vice president to start heading towards Islamabad for hopefully some talks with Iran. Appreciate it.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Also next hour, President Trump's pick to lead the Federal Reserve will be in the hot seat on Capitol Hill. Kevin Warsh is expected to face quite a few tough questions from senators during his confirmation hearing. The president is hoping Warsh will be confirmed and in place by mid-May, but there is at least one major obstacle standing in the way, which is Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who has made clear that he is going to keep a hold on this nomination, holding it up until the Justice Department drops its criminal probe into the current Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome Powell.

CNN's David Goldman has much more on this.

What do we know about what is about to happen with Mr. Warsh?

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, I mean, these are usually snooze fests, right?

BOLDUAN: Yes.

GOLDMAN: When you have a Federal Reserve chairman who has a confirmation hearing, I mean that's --

BOLDUAN: We have a question, it's just, talk to me about the independence of the Fed?

GOLDMAN: That's it.

BOLDUAN: Will you do this? I will not talk about it because of the independence of the Fed.

GOLDMAN: You got it. I mean, they're rubber stamp affairs usually. It's not the case this time for two reasons. One is because of who's being nominated, and, two, is because of who is nominating him, right?

I mean so Kevin Warsh is, by all measures, a qualified individual, but he served on the Fed earlier in his career, in -- around 2008 during the financial crisis. He was pushing to raise rates, right, to get rid of inflation or to stave off inflation. And that's really interesting because of who is nominating him. President Trump wants lower rates. So, now Warsh is saying, well, yes, I agree with that. I want lower interest rates. So, which is it? Why the seeming change in his long- held stance? He's going to get a lot of tough questions from -- certainly from Democrats about who is leading the Fed. Is it President Trump or is it going to be Kevin Warsh?

And then, of course, there's the Tillis question, as you mentioned.

BOLDUAN: Yes. I mean, it's not like Tillis is wavering on this.

GOLDMAN: No, not at all.

BOLDUAN: At all. I mean he has -- I mean he has nothing to lose and doesn't care anymore.

GOLDMAN: Well, that's exactly -- well, right. OK. So, first of all, he's not running again.

BOLDUAN: Right.

GOLDMAN: So, he's got nothing to lose.

BOLDUAN: It's freed him up to speak his mind.

GOLDMAN: Exactly. And then the other thing is that he's already told us what he's going

to say during his little five-minute spiel that he gets on the -- on The Hill today. He's just going to rail against Trump and his actions against Jay Powell. That's all he's going to talk about.

And so, whether or not Warsh gets a vote to confirm him, that's an active question, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen.

BOLDUAN: And the control room was just telling me in my ear that President Trump, in speaking to CNBC, that he just said that he would be disappointed if Warsh would not cut rates. Speaking directly to exactly what he's going to be asked --

GOLDMAN: There you go.

BOLDUAN: Which is only going to further the questions to the Fed chairman, the nominee for Fed chairman coming up.

GOLDMAN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you, David.

GOLDMAN: You too.

BOLDUAN: Clearly, a lot to watch on this one today.

GOLDMAN: Sure is.

BOLDUAN: Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you.

This morning we are tracking oil prices as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut down. And we want to see if talks with Iran to reopen it will actually happen. What you're looking at is Brent Crude is down just a bit, but way up from the $83 a gallon that it was last week.

All right, also, plus, a Florida congresswoman accused of misusing FEMA funds faces possible expulsion today.

And the goose is loose. A Major League Baseball game plays on despite an extra player who took to the field. And it could fly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:19:10]

BOLDUAN: All right, it is election day in Virginia. The polls are open, and voters are deciding whether to redraw the straits -- the state's congressional map. The Democratic-led plan would dramatically reshape Virginia's congressional map, potentially giving Democrats a big advantage when it comes to the commonwealth's 11 congressional seats. And you can read that as also could have a big impact in the midterms in the balance of power.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is in Manassas, Virginia, where voters are headed to the polls right now.

And, Arlette, what are you hearing there and the impact this could all have?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, the voters we've spoken to have really been split on this decision on whether Virginia will redistrict these congressional maps heading into the midterm elections. This is a statewide ballot measure that Virginians are voting on today, but it has national implications as it could produce up to four additional Democratic seats in the U.S. House in the midterms if this map does move forward.

[09:20:12]

Now, the voters will be voting on a constitutional amendment to allow the Democratic-led assembly in the state to temporarily have this one- time redistricting effort, as they are trying to counteract some of the actions that have been taken across the country. You'll remember that that battle down in Texas over redistricting last summer really set off this redistricting race across the country, with states following Texas, like California and others, in trying to redraw their congressional maps.

Take a listen to some of the voters that we spoke to this morning expressing their opinions on both sides.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGLASS TATE, VIRGINIA VOTER: I just feel that it's a constitutional right that we should not be, you know, gerrymandering our districts in order to adjust temporarily for, you know, fairness in the sense that in the way that they're trying to articulate fairness. So, I just don't like the way that they're trying to go about it.

SHAZIA NOREEN, VIRGINIA VOTER: I voted in favor of it.

SAENZ: And why is that?

NOREEN: Because I'm trying to vote against anything that represents MAGA.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, let's take a look at what some of these maps will actually look like. These proposed maps would essentially carve up some of the heavily Democratic areas in northern Virginia and create five separate districts that then spread out into more conservative, more rural areas. The district that we are in right now, the proposed seventh congressional district, is one of the most talked about in this redistricting race. What this does is that it has some of those D.C. suburbs up in northern Virginia. It's created this lobster shape, that then it goes down into more conservative areas that shape with the claws. It's why people have been referencing this as a lobster.

Where we are standing right now, in one direction, about 1.5 miles, there is another district. A little under two miles, there is another district in the other direction. And where we are is really sandwiched in between.

But in just a short while, we are expecting more voters to come in here to make their voices heard on this redistricting effort. That could have major consequences for the makeup in the -- of the House in November's midterm elections.

BOLDUAN: That's absolutely right.

Arlette, thank you so much for being there.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, today on Capitol Hill, the House Ethics Committee will hold an Ethics Committee sanctions hearing with the focus on Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. The committee recently found her guilty of violating several campaign finance laws, and she could face an expulsion vote as a result. The Florida Democrat was indicted in November, accused of stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds, then using some of the money to fund her 2021 campaign.

CNN's Annie Grayer is live on Capitol Hill with the very latest for us.

If this expulsion happens, it's going to require a lot of Democrats to get on board, correct?

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: That's right, Sara. For an expulsion vote to pass, it would require two-thirds of the House of Representatives. So, that is a lot of Democrats to get on board. And there are a lot of concerns around Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, but will the lawmakers reach a threshold to expel her? That's something that we're going to learn today.

But members have been waiting for this House Ethics meeting, which is going to take place starting at 2 p.m., where the committee is going to deliberate what the future of Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick should be, what their recommendation is. And as you mentioned, the committee had already found her guilty of violating campaign ethics -- campaign finance laws and House rules after she was charged with -- by -- after she was charged with potentially stealing $5 million in federal assistance funds to use for her 2021 campaign.

And so, we will wait to see what comes -- what the committee recommends. But we know that members are going to want to move quickly on this expulsion vote, which is something that used to be very rare in the House of Representatives, but we are seeing happen more and more in response to this watershed moment that is happening on Capitol Hill, as we saw with the allegations of sexual misconduct surrounding Eric Swalwell, where he quickly resigned after threats of expulsion for his behavior, and similarly Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales also resigned for his misconduct towards women.

And the House Ethics Committee is at the center of all of this. They are the committee that oversees member behavior. They investigate lawmakers' behavior. And this is a moment for them as they are making clear that they want to investigate any allegations of wrongdoing of any member.

They made a call yesterday in a statement calling for any allegations for people to come forward. And this is as members and staff are all grappling with this moment in -- on Capitol Hill and how to best police its own up here.

Sara.

[09:25:02]

SIDNER: Yes. We will see what happens with this vote. It requires two- thirds, as you mentioned, which is a high number to try to get.

Annie Grayer, thank you so much for your reporting on this. Do appreciate it.

All right, ahead, President Trump moves to expand U.S. oil and energy. We'll discuss what this means for Wall Street as we're minutes away from the opening bell.

And two baby bald eagles need names. Time is almost up to help name these adorable eaglets, oh, while they are in their habitat. Come up with something good. Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: The opening bell set to ring in just a few seconds, really, on Wall Street as Iran keeps the world guessing on whether its negotiators will be showing up for a second round of talks with the United States.

[09:30:08]

Oil prices fell slightly.