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50-Plus Homes Destroyed, 1,000 Threatened by Raging Georgia Wildfires; U.S. Navy Secretary Ousted Amid Blockade and Tensions with Hegseth; Trump Now Says There is No Time Frame for War with Iran; DOJ Declassifies State-Licensed Marijuana as Les Dangerous Drug; Teen Honored as Military Child of the Year for the Army. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired April 23, 2026 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: ... As we moved through this area, it left no scene untouched, really, and unfortunately, it was very, very scary moments for so many people, the residents here, that decided not to evacuate. I caught up with one of them earlier today, and you got to hear his harrowing tale as he took his children to safety. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DRAKE SMITH, RETURNED HOME AFTER EVACUATING: It wasn't panic until we seen, well, until we seen the fire over the tree line. I mean, it changed in a matter of 20 minutes, and I mean, the temperature went from, you know, being cool and all right to just being hot automatically. It went up probably 10, 15 degrees just in a matter of 15, 20 minutes.

VAN DAM: And what will you do if the fire comes back?

SMITH: Well, depending on where it's at, but if it does come back this way, we'll leave. We'll just have to stay in the vehicles until we can figure out, and hopefully the house would still be standing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAN DAM: Boris, the Highway 82 fire is just one of 20 active large wildfires burning out of control across the Southeastern United States. This area is so desperate for rain. Look behind me.

There is still smoldering ashes. We've seen little flames spike up that continue to burn. But one thing that's tough to translate over the TV lens, Boris, is the putrid smell of burning plastic as well as chemicals in the air, something that people will have to deal with as the air quality is horrible across the Southeast right now -- Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Derek Van Dam, live for us in Georgia. Thank you so much for that.

Coming up, the sudden ouster of the Navy's top leader raising new questions about the military strategy for the Strait of Hormuz.

[14:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: New threats from President Trump amid the standoff with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. Today, the president ordering the Navy to shoot and kill any boat placing mines in the critical shipping lane. That announcement follows the abrupt firing of the Secretary of the Navy, John Phelan.

Sources familiar with the matter telling CNN, tensions had been mounting between Phelan and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for months. But a short time ago, the president praised Phelan. He called him a longtime friend who, quote, decided to move on.

We're joined now by former Defense Secretary and CIA director under President Obama, Leon Panetta. First, I want to talk with you about the threat from the president over the mines. We saw Iran apparently using speedboats on Wednesday during what they claim was a seizure of two merchant ships.

How should the U.S. be adjusting to this asymmetrical naval warfare?

LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, there's a lot of concerns at the present time with regards to the talks and whether or not there's any chance of bringing this war to an end. Right now, these talks are pretty much in a stalemate. And both sides appear to be jockeying for position, trying to make the other side blink.

And so the U.S. has engaged in some military actions and now is threatening to blow up the boats that are laying the mines. Iran has gone after some of the tankers and ships as well. And the problem is that this could escalate very fast.

And if it continues to escalate and we get into a larger military action, you're not going to see this war end. And frankly, it could get a lot worse. That's the danger of what's happening right now.

KEILAR: Yes, the president saying there's no time pressure on this extended ceasefire, there's no time frame when he was talking about when the war might come to an end. How are you seeing that and what does that mean for the U.S. negotiating position?

PANETTA: Well, it's just badly stalled right now. I mean, what they should be doing is we should be sending our representatives to Abbottabad. We should have Iran sending its representatives to Abbottabad.

They need to sit down. They need to start talking. There's an awful lot that needs to be discussed.

This is not going to be easy. We've got the Straits of Hormuz that are closed and are damaging our economy and the world economy. We've got to deal with the nuclear issue.

We've got to deal with missiles and drones. We've got to deal with sanctions and funds to help repair the damage. There's an awful lot here that needs to be addressed.

That's going to take time. And the longer we are held back from somehow sitting down and beginning those discussions, I think the problem that I see is that the easier the tendency to respond militarily will be. I've got each side is going to feel it has to do something while the talks are stalemated, and that could be real trouble for the future.

KEILAR: I want to ask you about this ousting of the Navy secretary, because we've heard from some experts this may not effectively change too much about how this war is prosecuted. But it is something that certainly from Iran's perspective could create a sort of a perception of instability in the military. How are you seeing it at this crucial time when you have the secretary of the Navy going?

[14:40:00]

PANETTA: Look, we're in a war. We've deployed a lot of our forces overseas. A big chunk of our Navy is there in Iran as well in the oceans surrounding Iran.

This is not a good time to have a disruption in leadership. What you want to show the enemy, what you want to show the world is that we've got our act together and that everybody is operating as a team. And the problem I see at the Defense Department is that, you know, they've released something like two dozen military commanders, and now they fired the secretary of the Navy.

That sends a signal, particularly to our adversaries, that we don't have our act together. That's dangerous, and that's why I'm concerned that that's happened, because right now we ought to be doing everything necessary to support our men and women who are in harm's way and not focusing on personnel issues.

KEILAR: Secretary Panetta, great to get your perspective. Thank you so much.

PANETTA: Good to be with you.

KEILAR: Still ahead, it is a move that cannabis advocates have been promoting for years. What the reclassification of medical marijuana could mean for millions of Americans.

[14:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: The Justice Department is taking a historic step to begin easing regulations on state-licensed medical marijuana. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order this morning to reclassify it as a Schedule III drug, meaning that cannabis would be in the same category as some prescription medicines like ketamine and Tylenol with codeine. The change would also clear the way for more research into the drug's potential benefits.

Joining us now to discuss is Morgan Fox, political director at NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Morgan, thanks so much for being with us. What is going to be the impact of this reclassification?

MORGAN FOX, POLITICAL DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR THE REFORM OF MARIJUANA LAWS: Well, I think the most important impact is that this is a recognition on the part of the executive branch that not only does cannabis have medical value, but also a recognition of the legitimacy of state-level regulatory structures that are designed to govern this substance. I think even more important, because of the exact wording of this AG's order, researchers will no longer have significant barriers to obtaining the products that consumers in state legal markets are actually using in order to be able to study them in clinical trials and be able to better help policymakers determine the best course forward, as well as help consumers make more educated decisions.

SANCHEZ: There are concerns among opponents to this reclassification, including some lawmakers. Senator Roger Marshall, who's a physician, said that he's concerned because cannabis is a gateway drug that can lead to mental health issues, also a decrease in users' motivation. You also had this from Senator Tom Cotton, pointing out that today the marijuana that's most commonly used and sold is much more potent than it was 10 or 20 years ago, leading to increased psychosis, antisocial behavior, fatal car crashes.

What's your response to those criticisms?

FOX: Well, first of all, the gateway theory and a-motivational syndrome theories have been widely disproven. Also, the fact that cannabis is more powerful is not necessarily an accurate distinction, because high-potency products have been around for thousands of years in the form of hashish. They've been available on state-regulated markets for a very, very long time.

This order really does not make cannabis any more available. It certainly does not change its criminal status. What it does do is provide pathways for potential research that are going to better inform policymakers, while also allowing states to be able to pursue the policies that they've been successfully implementing for decades.

SANCHEZ: Talk to us about some of the conflicts between the federal level and the state level because this is probably going to lead to some litigation, I imagine, in states that don't necessarily want this reclassification to change the way that marijuana is handled in their states and their borders.

FOX: Well, at the end of the day, states can still determine what their own cannabis policies are. Under the Schedule 1 status, it makes it much more difficult for them to be able to do so, and that has created a conflict between state and federal law that will continue to exist even after this executive order or this AG order goes into effect. However, what we do have now is the potential pathway to really start exploring sensible cannabis policies without the automatic stigma and knee-jerk reaction that this is a substance that has no medical use and that has a high potential for abuse. This is something that scientists have known since before cannabis was even placed on the schedule. What's very interesting is that this order creates an unprecedented situation in which the exact same products will be Schedule 1 in one state and Schedule 3 in another state, and even within the same state, might be Schedule 1 or Schedule 3 based on the type of license that an individual producer has. This is something that we've never really dealt with before under the Controlled Substances Act and is emblematic of the fact that the whole Controlled Substances Act structure is relatively broken and non- scientific.

Cannabis prohibition in general has been always based on politics rather than on science, and hopefully with this order we will now be able to get closer to a position where we can make evidence-based policy as opposed to basing all of our policies on outdated stigma and fear of cannabis and cannabis consumers.

SANCHEZ: Morgan Fox, thanks so much for coming on and sharing your perspective. Appreciate it.

FOX: Thanks for having me.

SANCHEZ: Brianna.

KEILAR: Now to some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour.

[14:50:00]

A Massachusetts family's jaws dropped wide open during a fishing trip to Fort Lauderdale. Because that giant thing that they're fighting to reel in, that is a 10-foot great white shark. It took two people to finally reel it in, and since these sharks are protected, they released the animal, but hey, these pictures are unbelievable, and they'll always have these amazing stories.

Also, a bachelorette party goes wrong when a 16th century monument is damaged. This is the Fountain of Neptune in Florence, Italy. A tourist is accused of climbing it, causing small but significant damage that will cost more than $5,000 to fix. Authorities say the 28-year-old woman was attempting to touch the sculpture's private parts as part of a pre-wedding challenge. Save it for the wedding night, sister.

All right, and Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert with the catch of the year last night as he snagged this line drive from the Athletics' Carlos Cortes. The ball went right between the buttons on Gilbert's jersey and got stuck inside. Unfortunately, since he didn't catch it with his glove or his hand, it was ruled a dead ball, and Cortez was awarded a single.

We'll be right back.

[14:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KEILAR: Life growing up in a military family can mean facing challenges that are very different from other kids your age. Amani Ambe was only 10 years old when her father returned from Afghanistan with serious injuries. She helped care for him.

She tended to his wounds each day after school. And that is just one example of why she is being honored as Operation Homefront's Military Child of the Year for the Army. Here's moments that Amani's parents are sharing the good news with her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANI AMBAY, OPERATION HOMEFRONT MILITARY CHILD OF THE YEAR, ARMY: No way! Are you serious? Oh, my God!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Got to love that. And Amani Ambe is here with us now. I love that they videotaped your reaction.

But this is a really big deal because you are one of just seven recipients of this award representing the Army, which I am partial to. What was your reaction to winning and being able to just carry this message forward of everything that you've done, which we're going to talk more about in a second.

AMBAY: I was incredibly shocked and humbled when I received this award. I know so many deserving military children out there. And the fact that Operation Homefront chose me to represent the Army is an incredible honor.

I feel so grateful.

KEILAR: OK. Yes, and you're very humble, which I appreciate. But I need to highlight some of the cool things that you have done.

And one is that you formed a nonprofit, the Yalla Foundation, which is something that started as a network where you were getting kids, really, military children and civilian children to connect with each other. Can you talk about why you started that and what it was at the beginning?

AMBAY: Yes, of course. During my dad's deployment, I felt it was very hard to connect with my peers at school that did not share similar experiences. So I began to reach out through social media to military kids who were going through similar experiences and began connecting them with my friends in different countries around the world through various platforms.

KEILAR: And why is that so important? I mean, a lot of people don't serve, so they don't understand, but they may be curious. What does that mean when you're a military child and you're dealing with mom or dad away, and you want that support, but maybe you're feeling a little bit lonely?

AMBAY: Yes. Whenever a service member is deployed, it can be very hard on both the mother or the father, whoever is not deployed, as well as the children due to the constant moving around and also forming a good community and connection, which is why Yalla Foundation was so important to me because I got the chance to really bring people together for a shared goal of education and friendship.

KEILAR: Yes, it's really amazing. What do you want people to know about military children and military families, especially there's a lot of attention right now because a lot of people are deployed right now. What do you want folks to know about military children and families?

AMBAY: I think we should focus on the fact that military families particularly move around quite often when the service member is stationed in a new area, and that requires the kid, the military kid, to be put in a new environment constantly, which requires the kid's ability to not only cope with that, but also adapt and thrive.

KEILAR: How do you do that as a military child? And obviously there's not only one way to do it, right?

AMBAY: Of course.

KEILAR: How did you do it? What are the different ways that people approach it?

AMBAY: Well, me personally, I utilized my ability to kind of connect with people in order to share those experiences that we were going through, again, through various social media platforms, but also in my local military community from Florida as well.

KEILAR: I would be remiss if I didn't give you a chance to shout out your parents because they're actually watching here off camera.

AMBAY: Yes, they are.

KEILAR: Your mom, Aparna, and your dad, Raj, who is an Army Reserve Colonel who will soon be retiring.

AMBAY: Yes.

KEILAR: You told me you're very proud of them.

AMBAY: I am.

Tell me about that.

AMBAY: Well, my father has always told me, the force behind you is far greater than the challenges that lie ahead of you. And he was told this sentence minutes before they crossed the wire, before going into battle on the field. And this has really stuck ...

END