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Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) is Interviewed about Iran; Bailout Could Help Spirit Airlines; FBI Director Files Defamation Lawsuit; Kamini Lane is Interviewed about the Housing Market. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired April 23, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Sources say Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told him to resign or be fired.

Let's get right to CNN's Alayna Treene at the White House this morning for the latest on this.

New turmoil inside the Pentagon, Alayna.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. And look, I mean, we have seen Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fire a number of people in the Defense Department. But this one is a little bit different because he was someone who was appointed by the president himself.

And I'd remind you that Phelan was someone who did not really have prior military experience. He was actually someone who, with his wife, had donated millions to President Trump for his political efforts. And that was actually part of this sticking point, we're old, that really had continued for months behind the scenes between him and Hegseth. One, Hegseth felt that Phelan was not doing enough on ship reform. That was one of the issues. But another key issue was this idea that he believed that Phelan was going directly to the president on certain issues, and essentially Hegseth feeling like he was going around him. And, of course, in a White House like this, everyone knows that really the proximity to the president is that proximity to power. And so that was really where a lot of this tension stemmed from.

And what was so fascinating to me was looking at how the series of events went yesterday because this came as a surprise to many people, but Hegseth had met with the president earlier in the day and essentially made the case for why he believed Phelan should leave. And our reporting from our great colleague shows that the president did agree. However, Phelan didn't not -- did not necessarily believe that. He actually was calling up a lot of people at the White House asking if this was something that was sanctioned by President Trump. And ultimately came to the White House later in the day and met with the president to talk about this. We were told that him and Trump did ultimately meet.

But it is incredible timing as well for all of this. Just noting the very important naval blockade on Iranian ports right now. Something that this administration sees as being crucial to keeping the Iranians involved in the negotiations on the war.

John.

BERMAN: Yes, the reporting where he's trying to get answers from anybody who knew anything about his being pushed aside is really, really juicy.

Alayna, what's the president saying about the timing right now of the conflict?

TREENE: Yes, look, they're really trying to be vague about it, which is interesting because this is not typical for the president. He often does like to set deadlines, particularly in a negotiation like this, where they want to keep the pressure up.

But we heard from the president himself, as well as the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, yesterday, essentially saying that he purposely did not put a definitive end date on how long the ceasefire extension is going to last.

But all of that aside, I do want to share, you know, just what I'm picking up in my conversations, which is that he has been getting advised by a lot of people from the Pentagon, to the CIA, to the State Department about the concerns of allowing this to drag out indefinitely. And really this concern as well that the Iranians are going to try to drag this out. It's something they've done in the past, and it's something this White House does not want them to do this time. And so, even as they're not being definitive in what the extension of this ceasefire is going to be, I am told that privately they are trying to keep that pressure on the Iranians and, you know, in their discussions with Pakistani mediators that they're not going to let this, you know, be a long term extension, and they really do want to have this be a diplomatic solution, have a diplomatic solution in the near future, John.

BERMAN: The Iranians with a record of drawing things out as long as they can.

TREENE: Yes.

BERMAN: Alayna Treene, at the White House this morning, thank you very much.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about all of this.

Joining us right now is Democratic Congressman Jimmy Panetta of California. He's a veteran of the U.S. Naval Reserve.

Thank you for being here, Congressman.

You were a Navy intelligence officer. What is your reaction to, first, the news of just hearing the Navy secretary has now been forced out?

REP. JIMMY PANETTA (D-CA): Look, I think it demonstrates that the chaos and craziness of the White House has transcended over into the Pentagon in that you have a "Game of Thrones" type of atmosphere going on there with Secretary Hegseth, or "Secretary Joffrey" I'll call him, in that he's -- basically the knives are out when it comes to people that take a stance against him or go against him or go around him, as the secretary said. That's one.

Two, this is not the time to have this sort of firing in that it sends mixed messaging, not just to our enemies, but to our men and women in uniform who are fighting the good fight. Now, I know, as a former naval officer, I served in Afghanistan, the men and women in uniform are going to do their job and do it well, but this just sends the wrong message to them.

BOLDUAN: Let me also ask you, the -- what the White House says that -- about the blockade in place. The White House believes and hopes, obviously, that this blockade on Iranian ports will force Iran back to the table to negotiate. But there is new reporting and data from Maritime Analytics, from Kpler that shows that tankers are still positioned in Iran's loading zones and Iranian crude oil continues to move toward China. The estimates are like almost a million barrels of crude have flowed -- have flowed from Iran to China this month, and that has not been interrupted according to this analytics -- these analytics.

[08:35:05]

So, do you think the blockade is proving successful?

PANETTA: You know, I think I heard Secretary Hegseth say this was a victory with a capital "v." And all I can say to that is, if this is victory, I'd hate to see what failure is because of the stats that you just mentioned about the blockade and how that is even failing.

This is an issue that demonstrates the lack of strategic planning that has gone into this war. I understand, and I think we all appreciate, the tactical successes that we've seen from our military, but that does not make up for the lack of strategic planning that, unfortunately, we're experiencing right now with these consequences. The consequences of the failed blockade, as you just mentioned, the consequences of 13 Americans killed in action, the consequences of the cost of this war, not just to America of $1 billion a day, but to the American consumer. And when it comes to the high prices that we are all experiencing and food and fuel. Food. Our farmers having to deal with the high prices of fertilizer. This is the cost to America that come into play that should have been thought through. But, unfortunately, with this president, with Secretary Hegseth, they thought they could bully their way through this war, and that's not working.

BOLDUAN: There's this video of Iran purportedly seizing -- boarding and seizing ships in the Strait. There are questions of how much of this video that's been put out is staged. But regardless, the White House was asked about Iran's activity in the Strait and the fact that it says it has seized ships. The press secretary, though, says that their view is that this is not a violation of the ceasefire so far.

Let me play this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does the president view that as a violation of the ceasefire?

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: No, because these were not U.S. ships. These were not Israeli ships. These were two international vessels.

These two ships were taken by speedy gunboats. Iran has gone from having the most lethal navy in the Middle East to now acting like a bunch of pirates. They don't have control over the Strait.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Congressman, do you agree with that? Do you agree that this is not a violation of the ceasefire so far?

PANETTA: I'd be able to answer that if we actually knew what the terms of the ceasefire are. That's the problem with this entire conflict. We don't know the definition of victory. We don't know the definition of the ceasefire. We don't know the terms of this blockade. But that's the way this president operates. That's the way, apparently, the secretary of war operates. That -- it's through chaos and optionality rather than a set pathway forward to victory.

BOLDUAN: Changing gears really quick.

Last night was the first debate in the California governor's race since Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race. You had endorsed him and then pulled that endorsement after learning of the allegations against him. Who do you think is the best candidate now for the job?

PANETTA: Look, first and foremost, as I said, these allegations against former Representative Swalwell are very serious and need to be taken seriously with the proper investigations going forward. Eric did the right thing by stepping out of the governor's race and then, of course, stepping down from the United States Congress.

Now, I think you're starting to see Californians actually be focused on the governor's race. Prior to that, it seemed like they were focused on Trump. Now I think they're focused on the governor's race because people are concerned with the damage that Trump will do to California. So, obviously, they want a fighter, someone who's willing to push back against this president and the damage and the destruction that they can do to the state -- great state of California.

But at the same time, they want to make sure someone can govern California appropriately and deal with the issues that we're facing in California. The high prices of housing, of groceries.

BOLDUAN: Right.

PANETTA: The problems that our farmers are dealing with there in the central valley and on the central coast. And so, look, I believe that the debate that was had last night is

starting to vet that out. And I know CNN is having a debate coming up in early May. These are some things where the people of California are going to start to get tuned in with and then start to make their own determination as to who's going to lead them going forward.

BOLDUAN: And so you're -- you -- you will not be endorsing anyone in this race now?

PANETTA: Look, right now I'm letting the dust settle. And I'm still determining who can best lead California. There's a lot of good candidates out there. You have former secretary of HHS, Xavier Becerra, who's starting to shoot up in the polls. Mayor Matt Mahan is coming up as well.

[08:40:01]

And these are people that I think everybody needs to listen to, as well as all the candidates. And that's why these debates are so important.

BOLDUAN: Congressman Jimmy Panetta, thank you. Thank you for coming in.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, as soon as tonight, we could get official word of a major bailout for a budget airline. One that is hard to not see because of the color of the plane. Spirit Airlines has struggled to make money since the pandemic and was close to becoming the first major U.S. airline to close up shop in 25 years. But a source is telling CNN, it's close to inking a deal for a half a billion dollar bailout with the federal government.

CNN's Pete Muntean is joining me now.

Pete, how will this go over? I mean we've seen bailouts before, like every, I don't know, ten, 15 years with airlines. How is this particular one, though, going over in the industry?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Like a lead balloon, Sara. You know, this is really a hard pill to swallow for a lot of folks, especially those in the president's own party. More developments in this story all the time. Ever since President Trump opened the door on a possible bailout on Tuesday.

Yesterday, a source told us that the Trump administration was in advanced talks. And now we're told a deal could come as soon as today. But that big wrinkle is this pushback about all this. Some calling the idea nationalization of Spirit Airlines that verges on socialism.

Here's what we're talking about. A source close to these talks tells us the federal government is considering a $500 million bailout of Spirit Airlines. That deal would include the federal government taking a stake in the airline. Remember, Spirit is an ultra low cost carrier where everything is extra. And it's struggled to make money since the Covid pandemic. JetBlue tried to acquire Spirit in July 2022. That deal fell apart when the Biden administration said that that deal would spoil competition. Then, in November of 2024, Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Last March, Spirit emerged from bankruptcy but just said a few months later that it would struggle to stay afloat for about another year.

Which brings us to now. The rise in fuel costs, due to the war with Iran, has Spirit really on the ropes. And I asked Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy about Spirit in a one-on-one interview on Tuesday, and he did not exactly commit to the idea of a bailout.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: If we do bail out Spirit, well, what's -- what does that future look like, right? How -- is it -- is it just forestalling the inevitable? Or is there a true pathway for Spirit? And that's a broader conversation. Again, we have a lot of equity in making a decision. But, really, that's the president and the team that's going to come together and figure out, do we want to do something?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Senator Ted Cruz of Texas posted on X that a government bailout of Spirit is "an absolutely terrible idea." Saying, quote, "the government doesn't know a damn thing about running a failed budget airline."

Small government think tanks say this really opens pandora's box, that if another company starts to fail, they'll see the federal government as a lifeboat.

Either way, passengers should pay close attention to this. If you have travel booked on Spirit, even if you have a credit. This could also have a huge impact on jobs. Spirit employs about 14,000 people, meaning the airline folding or being bailed out could be a significant economic event any way you slice it, Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, it doesn't seem like there's actually a great answer any way you look at it, Pete Muntean. It's certainly going to play into the political theater around whether you bail these companies out while consumers are hurting and say, where's my help, right?

Pete, thank you so much. Great to see you.

John.

BERMAN: All right, three Illinois firefighters helped save a mother and her son after they fell through the ice while ice fishing.

CNN's Ryan Young on how they went beyond the call of duty.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Sunny and serene. This private lake, an unincorporated Cary, Illinois, is a neighborhood watering hole. But this past January, an afternoon of ice fishing on Lake Killarney quickly turned into a life or death situation for a mother and son duo when the ice broke beneath them.

Within minutes, neighbor and off duty firefighter Cody Delatorre says he got an alert about a water rescue and sprang into action.

CODY DELATORRE, FIREFIGHTER, CARY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: I saw the address and I'm like, oh, that's like right up the street. And then I saw the two people in the water. And at first I was thinking, well, how am I going to get two people out of the water by myself? And then he came up the street.

YOUNG (voice over): Cody managed to flag down his brother, and fellow firefighter, Ben, to help him with the rescue.

C. DELATORRE: I had this and -- this extension cord in my back seat. So, I grabbed this and I grabbed him and we ran down.

BEN DELATORRE, FIREFIGHTER, CARY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: And I heard the ice start cracking. So, I pretty much got down on my knees and started spreading out my weight, to like distribute it on the ice so I don't fall in right away. And right as I got out there, the kid started saying, like, I don't know how much longer I have. And his hand -- his head was pretty much under the water. So, like, I dropped the extension cord and didn't think about it and just grabbed him by his collar and pulled him out.

[08:45:00]

YOUNG (voice over): But they weren't in the clear just yet. Cody says when he went to rescue the mom, he fell into the frigid waters. But by then, backup had arrived.

KYLER OCHAB, FIREFIGHTER, CARY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: First thing I saw when I was up was Ben out on the lake.

YOUNG (voice over): Firefighter Kyler Ochab suited up and helped Ben and Cody get the mother to safety.

OCHAB: And then from there on, I just took over with the rescue.

YOUNG (voice over): All three firefighters were later honored by their fire district with a life saving award for their actions that day, and reunited with the mother and the son they rescued.

C. DELATORRE: To see that they're alive and well and they weren't hurt or anything, it's definitely a good outcome and good feeling to see.

YOUNG (voice over): Whether it's protecting family, fellow firefighters or the wider community, these firefighters say they're always ready to step up when duty calls. B. DELATORRE: We were just doing our job. It's kind of like a

responsibility that you pick up when you sign that paper to say, I will work for a fire department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: There's new data out this hour showing home buyers are jumping back into the housing market despite uncertainty driven by the war in the Middle East. Those new details coming in. We'll bring that to you.

And a family fishing trip turns into the catch of probably a lifetime. When a father and son reel in a ten-foot great white.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:50:39]

BERMAN: This morning, "The New York Times" is reporting the FBI investigated one of its reporters after she wrote an article about FBI Director Kash Patel using bureau resources to provide his girlfriend, an aspiring country singer, with additional security and transportation. The FBI told "The Times" they are no longer pursuing a case.

The headline from the initial article published in February reads, quote, "Kash Patel's Girlfriend Seeks Fame and Fortune, Escorted by an FBI SWAT Team."

With us now, CNN's Brian Stelter.

Kash Patel back in the news again.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes. Yes. And in another way that he probably doesn't want to be in the headlines. The FBI denies this was an investigation, but everything we know about it indicates that there was an investigation into this reporter, Elizabeth Williamson, after she wrote an unflattering and very important story showing how FBI resources were being used to protect Patel's girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins.

Now, that story apparently triggered a death threat to Wilkins back in February. The FBI investigated the death threat. Patel says that that person who made that threat allegedly is now behind bars, has been charged.

But that threat that was caused, the FBI says, by "The New York Times" story, led the FBI agents to start digging into Williamson, to start searching FBI databases to find out more about her. Apparently, they were looking into the idea that the reporting, done by "The New York Times," could have amounted to stalking, which is a really absurd charge.

I talked to a legal source overnight who said, it's just unimaginable that someone would think these reporting techniques amounted to stalking. But that was the claim from these FBI agents.

I think the good news here is that when the Justice Department was contacted, and the FBI agents wanted to go further, the Justice Department basically told them not to. Told them to stop. So that is notable.

But still, "The New York Times," this morning, calling this alarming and another example of an escalation by the Trump administration trying to target reporters.

BERMAN: I've had a senator, Democrat, and actually a representative also, both Democrats --

STELTER: Yes.

BERMAN: Suggesting the Kash Patel's job could be in jeopardy here. Now, is this just partizan wish casting here or is there something else going on?

STELTER: There's definitely a lot of that momentum or at least energy. A lot of that talk we're hearing from the left. And also now from press freedom groups, because you had that "Atlantic" story last week. Now you have this story about the probe into "The New York Times" reporter. Look at what Reporters Without Borders said this morning. This is Clayton Weimers, who helps run Reporters Without Borders, one of the biggest press freedom groups in the world. He says, "in the same week that Kash Patel filed a flimsy lawsuit against 'The Atlantic' for a story he didn't like, we also learned that his FBI desperately combed through its databases to find dirt on a 'New York Times' journalist. This ongoing, un-American harassment of journalists eerily echoes the Breau's darkest days." He says, "it's time for Patel to cash out and resign."

I did notice, John, where was Patel last night? He was back on Fox News. He was on one of President Trump's favorite shows, singing Trump's praises. If you look at Patel's Twitter feed, he's been overly active on social media as well, trying to tout all of his accomplishments. It seems to me, ever since that "Atlantic" story came out, which was damning, even though Patel has denied the allegations, we know President Trump's a teetotaler. He famously does not drink. He doesn't look well onto people who do abuse alcohol. Patel says he doesn't abuse alcohol, but the article in "The Atlantic" had some pretty shocking allegations. It seems to me Patel is working overtime to try to impress the boss right now.

BERMAN: He knows where to go to do it.

STELTER: Yes. Yes.

BERMAN: Brian Stelter, good to see you. Thank you so much.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: So, a sea turtle is back in the water today after a four month rehabilitation. Nutella is its name. Quite a great name. She was found barely alive when she was rescued in Florida. She had tumors on her body. Even on her eyes. She was tangled in a fishing line, which had damaged her flipper. And then, after a lot of care -- tender, loving care from the Turtle Hospital, yes, that is its name, a veterinary hospital for sick and injured sea turtles, Nutella was finally deemed healthy. She was then released back into the ocean off the Florida coast on Earth Day to a lot of people cheering her on. She's quite cute.

Then there's this. A Massachusetts family has quite the story to tell after a fishing trip in Fort Lauderdale. The giant thing that they are working on reeling in right there is a ten-foot great white shark. So big, so heavy, so strong, it took two guys, which I'm actually surprised it didn't take a third, to reel it in. Since these sharks are protected, they did release it. Thankfully they have lots of pictures and videos though to document and tell everyone about it because that is one very serious fish tale that you know someone would try to question.

[08:55:00]

Now, the latest installment of robots are taking over. Ping pong is now not even safe. A new autonomous robot in Japan named Ace was finally able to defeat a top-level human player. Ping pong robots, they are not new. They've been around since the '80s, apparently. But this is the first time one was good enough to beat a highly skilled human. So, if you are keeping track, a robot won a half marathon in China this week, and now this. It is getting serious, guys.

Sara.

SIDNER: Thank you, Kate.

The war with Iran is making everyday life more expensive for Americans and across the world. It has driven up gas prices, increased auto and credit card loans and mortgage rates. But a new report from Coldwell Banker Real Estate shows some home buyers are returning to the housing market.

Joining me now is Kamini Lane, president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Realty.

Thank you so much for being here.

Look, we're looking at these numbers. People are paying more for stuff. The Consumer Price Index up more than three percent over the past 12 months. Gas prices, we've all seen those go up to much higher, a dollar more than people were paying before the war. Americans polled consistently say they're struggling with this economy. And yet home buyers are coming back to the market.

Explain what's happening here.

KAMINI LANE, PRESIDENT AND CEO, COLDWELL BANKER REALTY: They are. Yes. We are seeing a lot of optimism in the market, which is a really fantastic thing to see, particularly sort of in light of the macroeconomic and geopolitical environment. But we just completed our Coldwell Banker Home Shopping Season Report. And, you know, it really did show that demand is very strong. And I think some of it is the fundamentals. Mortgage rates are lower than last year. Prices are actually flat. So, it is one of the things in our economy that is steadying out. So, home prices, on average, compared to last year, are flattening out. And, you know, the reality is, I think people have realized that there

is no perfect time to buy. Life doesn't wait. And so, we really see that most buyers who are on the market right now have very high intent. Eighty percent of our agents are reporting that their buyers are ready to buy. So, they're not just on the market, they are in the market ready to purchase.

SIDNER: Look, give some advice to people who are looking at this because people are watching what's happening around the world and sometimes it makes you hedge your bets where you're thinking, should I buy now, should I wait? Maybe mortgage rates will get lower. Maybe this is, you know, not necessarily the time to buy because there's so much uncertainty. What advice do you give people?

LANE: You know, I think that every single purchase of the -- of a home is some percentage financial and some percentage emotional. And most home purchases are driven, at least in part, by life circumstances. In fact, we're seeing that a little over a third of home purchases right now, according to our agents, are driven by life circumstances. And so, those are things that are not going to change. And so my advice, if you are interested in purchasing a home or if you're interested in selling your home, is to speak to a real estate professional, figure out what you can really afford, figure out that delta between maybe what you want and what you need, and get in the market. Real estate is historically one of the most stable investments in the U.S. economy. And again, it really is, the majority of the time, it is about life circumstances and there is no perfect time.

SIDNER: Yes, it's a good point. If you can afford it, if you have the down payment, if you feel confident, or sometimes if you just need, you got to move, your family's expanded and it's just, it's just time. You can't time it to the market necessarily.

I do want to ask you what some of the ways that that buyers can look at their budgets and sort of stretch things. What are you telling people as far as getting more for their buck, if you will, or the best deal?

LANE: I think -- yes, you know, I think part of it is actually looking at financing, right? There are a lot more creative financing options than people realize out there. And, you know, in relation to that, most people think that you need to put 20 percent down in order to purchase a home. That's actually not true at all. On average, people put between six to seven percent down. So, I think, you know, really understanding how far your money can stretch just on the surface is an important first step.

And, you know, the other thing is thinking about trade-offs, right? Some people are going to be able to afford both the school district and the pool. Some people are only going to be able to afford the school district. And I think getting real about the trade-offs is very important.

The last thing that I'll say on that note is that, you know, the home that you purchase today can be improved, right? You think about renovations. You think about, you know, adding space. Those are things that are very real options as you look to the longer term horizon of owning a home.

And then, you know, again, going back to financing, we have the saying at Coldwell Banker Realty, marry the home and date the rate, right?

[09:00:05]

You can always refinance.