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Today, Hegseth Returns to Capitol Hill After Fiery House Hearing; Bondi to Testify in House Oversight Committee's Epstein Probe; LIV Golf Seeks New Backers After Losing Saudi Funding. Aired 7- 7:30a ET

Aired April 30, 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: There's new reporting that the president is considering new military options against Iran, and also now raising new questions for the defense secretary as he heads to face senators this morning.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Breaking overnight, it was a wild, wild night for oil prices, for a moment, soaring to their highest level in four years over new war fears, and then gas prices took a huge jump as well, the biggest jump in six weeks.

Then it was supposed to be a cross country walk to raise money, livestreamed until he got hit by a car. We'll tell you what happened next.

Sara worked the night shift. I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: This morning, as gas prices hit a new wartime high, is the U.S. preparing now to restart strikes on Iran again? There's a new report in Axios saying that President Trump will receive a briefing today from U.S. Central Command on new plans for potential military action in Iran, either to force Iran back to the negotiating table, or to deliver a final blow before ending this war.

CNN has previously reported that the U.S. military is developing plans to target Iran's defenses along the Strait of Hormuz if the current ceasefire fails. And very soon, this is all against the backdrop of Hegseth is going to face new questions, more questions, and renewed questions, since he didn't answer much yesterday. He's going to be now testifying in front of the Senate following yesterday's combative hearing in the House.

Secretary Hegseth sparred with many lawmakers, especially Democrats, over costs of the war, both foreign and domestic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Do you know how much it will cost Americans in terms of their increased cost in gas and food over the next year because of the Iran war? PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I would simply ask you what the cost is of an Iranian nuclear bomb.

KHANNA: I'm going to give you that opportunity.

HEGSETH: I would simply ask you what the -- you're playing gotcha questions about domestic things. I'm not --

KHANNA: You're asking -- you're saying it's a gotcha question to ask what it's going to be in terms of the increased --

HEGSETH: Why won't you answer what it costs to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: You know, about those costs, the top Pentagon officials testified that the total price tag to date of the war with Iran for the United States is $25 billion. But sources tell CNN that is a low estimate. Actually, one source saying that the real cost is as much as $50 billion when you add in real costs, like real costs of rebuilding U.S. military bases, replacing destroyed assets.

CNN's Brian Todd live in Washington this morning. You watched yesterday's hearing, Brian. Today, he's heading to the Senate. What is expected?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, if yesterday is any preview of today, then Secretary Hegseth is probably in for some very pointed questions and maybe some very sharp exchanges because that hearing yesterday with the House Armed Services Committee did get very contentious.

Some further reporting is, as Kate mentioned, about that $25 billion estimate, and that was given by Pentagon Comptroller Jay Hurst to House Armed Services Committee members yesterday, $25 billion, he said the rough estimate of the cost of the war. You see in that graphic there, there's other damage estimates reported by entities, like CNN and The New York Times, that military bases there were rendered uninhabitable, the missile stockpile. So, that's a report from CNN, missile stockpiles have been significantly diminished there.

But on that $25 billion estimate, we've got that new reporting. Kate just mentioned it. This is from our Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen and Haley Britzky. That $25 billion estimate is a low ball figure that Jay Hurst gave. It does not include the cost of repairing extensive damage to bases in the region. That's according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke to CNN. One source saying that the real cost estimate is closer to $40 or $50 billion when accounting for the cost of rebuilding U.S. military installations and replacing destroyed assets.

Now, CNN has reported that in the early days of the war, this is what we're talking about here, in the early days of the war, Iranians strikes significantly damaged at least nine U.S. military sites in just 48 hours. These were installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, UAE, and Qatar.

[07:05:00]

Several critical U.S. radar systems were damaged, including the radar system for a THAAD missile battery and a U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry aircraft was destroyed in Saudi Arabia.

So, Secretary Hegseth could come in for some sharp questioning on that. Are they giving us the real figures of this war and the cost of rebuilding some damaged assets?

Also on the messaging of the war, he could come in for some really sharp questioning and some exchanges. There was one particularly bitter exchange, it wasn't really an exchange because one congressman, John Garamendi, criticized Hegseth and President Trump, and then a couple of minutes later, Secretary Hegseth brushed back at him after a little bit of an interruption from another congressman with a statement and a question.

But here's the gist of what Congressman John Garamendi said, and Hegseth's response to it on the messaging of the war and how the war is going.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): Secretary Hegseth, you have been lying to the American public about this war from day one, and so has the president. You have misled the public about why we are at war.

The president has got himself and America stuck in the quagmire of another war in the Middle East.

HEGSETH: The effort, what they've undertaken, what they've succeeded, the success on the battlefield that creates strategic opportunities, the courage of a president confront a nuclear Iran, and you call it a quagmire, handing propaganda to our enemies, shame on you for that statement. And statements like that are reckless to our troops. Don't say, I support the troops on one hand and then a two-month mission is a quagmire. That's a false equivalation. Who are you cheering for here?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: So we could see some more exchanges like that in the Senate when that hearing begins with the Armed Services Committee in just about four hours from now.

Also, Secretary Hegseth is very likely to get some questions about the end strategy of this war, as Kate was mentioning, you were mentioning, Kate, CNN's new reporting about the president getting a briefing today. A lot of questions will come in about what is the real end strategy and when will the end come.

BOLDUAN: Yes, it gets to all of that. Exactly, Brian. Thank you so much, much more to come as the hearing will begin this morning. John? BERMAN: Yes. One of the questions Secretary Hegseth did not want to answer gas prices. They leapt 7 cents overnight to $4.30 a gallon. That's a big, big jump, one of the biggest in six weeks. And it was a wild night for oil prices too. Brent Crude, the global benchmark briefly dropped $126 a barrel earlier, but it's dropped since then. There some pretty wild swings overnight.

Let's get to CNN's David Goldman for the latest on all of this. Kind of a sleepless night, I think, for oil traders.

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, it sure was. So, what's going on here is this is the last day of the contract. So, after today, all of that oil that needs to get delivered to the people who had bought the contract at the outset, so they actually take receipt of their oil. And so we see a ton of volatility on the last day of the month for that reason, and that's why we had $126 and we're down $10 from that amount.

But here's the thing that I think people need to take away, which is that as oil has crept higher and higher, that means that gas prices are creeping higher and higher. We were at $4.03 a week ago, and now we're at $4.30.

BERMAN: Wow.

GOLDMAN: It's an incredible gain, and we thought we were -- that the worst was behind us. But here's something to remember that it took us two weeks to fall 12 cents. We've gained 12 cents in two days.

So, when we say that oil and gas, especially gas, takes off like a rocket and drops like a feather, now you understand what that means, because it takes a long time to get back down from this. That's a big problem for people filling up their tanks.

BERMAN: Yes. The administration perhaps talked itself into thinking that the worst was over and it was going down.

GOLDMAN: That's right.

BERMAN: We were $4.03 two weeks ago and now $4.30?

GOLDMAN: Oh, we were $4.03 last week.

BERMAN: Oh, wow. Okay. Sorry. I shortchanged that. 27 cents at a week, that is a lot. And any sense of where it's going now?

GOLDMAN: Well, yes. I mean, so if this continues and if we keep -- you know, if oil keeps continuing to rise, which it probably will, if the Strait of Hormuz continues to stay closed, then the only place to go is up.

I was talking to a gas station owner the other day and he was saying that he normally makes 25 to 35 cents a gallon on profit. That feeds everything from, you know, the lights to his employees. But now he's only charging 10 cents. He says that he's only got two months before he feels like he has to close that gas station. And so don't blame your gas station attendant. This is really, really painful for everybody.

BERMAN: A lot of people are feeling the pressure here.

David Goldman, great to see you, thank you very much.

So, former Attorney General Pam Bondi set to testify before Congress over her handling of the Epstein files. What we're learning also about an independent new investigation.

And then the wild, wild west of redistricting, after the new Supreme Court ruling reshapes the Voting Rights Act, where some of the biggest changes might happen really could surprise you.

And then an incredible rescue, sometimes you have to get creative, police using jumper cables to rescue a mother and her children from floodwaters.

[07:10:06]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, bud, don't let me fall in, man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got you, bro.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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BOLDUAN: Now former Attorney General Pam Bondi will be testifying before the House Oversight Committee to answer questions about the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files. So, the date has now been set from May 29th, a month from now, which came about after Democrats on the committee announced that they had filed civil contempt charges against Bondi for skipping her earlier deposition. But instead of a deposition, she'll be sitting for a transcribed interview, will not have to be sworn in, will not have to be under oath here.

Now, remember that Pam Bondi was first issued a subpoena by the committee on a bipartisan basis in mid-March to appear, then they wanted her to appear on April 14th. After she was fired, DOJ argued the subpoena no longer applied since she was no longer officially the attorney general.

[07:15:00]

But, wait, there's more. After pressure from a par bipartisan group of senators, the Government Accountability Office now has opened an investigation into how Justice made those redactions in the Epstein files ahead of what they have released.

Joining us right now is CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig for more on this. I want to get to the GAO, Government Accountability Office, stuff in a second because it is pretty fascinating, but first on Bondi, Elie. Now going before saying she's going to go before the committee, what do you think are the main areas of focus that you would expect the committee wants to question her about at this point?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: So, Kate, Pam Bondi was, of course, the attorney general throughout the process of collecting and then releasing the Epstein files. And I think the primary focus is going to be on what you just pointed out those redactions, in two ways. First of all, there were plenty of victims names that were revealed that should not have been revealed often to the anguish of those victims. So, I think Pam Bondi is going to be questioned about who was in charge of this process, who failed, and was there any accountability for the people at DOJ who failed and allowed those victims' names to be released.

On the flipside, there were overredactions. You just showed some of that black ink. There are various examples in the documents where a person is emailing with Jeffrey Epstein about girls, about young women. There's an article on CNN's website done back in February by Aaron Blake that lays out some of those emails. They're astonishing. The names of the people who are emailing with Jeffrey Epstein are redacted. And the law itself, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, says that DOJ may not withhold information on the basis that it might embarrass somebody or cause political damage. So, those redactions appear to be improper. And I think Pam Bondi's going to have to answer for that as well.

BOLDUAN: You know, what about all of the just mess leading up to this moment? She failed to show up for the original scheduled date this month. They are -- is there a chance that she could still be held in contempt, or otherwise face any other punishment for that?

HONIG: Well, a mess is right. So, Bondi was originally subpoenaed while she was still the attorney general back in March. It was a bipartisan subpoena, by the way. Five Republicans on the committee joined with the Democrats. And then Pam Bondi was fired before her original testimony date. DOJ took the position, they sort of just invented out of nowhere, well, now she's not the A.G., she doesn't have to testify. That's ridiculous, as I think they've now recognized.

Now, in the interim, there were movements towards contempt where she could be potentially punished for no showing. Now, apparently, they've reached this resolution where she will testify next month under slightly different circumstances. It sounds like it will not be videotaped, but rather it'll be transcribed.

As you noted, Kate, Pam Bondi now will not be officially sworn in and under oath, but it's still a crime, whether you're under oath or not to lie, to Congress. So, that's more of a symbolic gesture, I think, if she no shows again, then I think there's going to be a lot of impetus on the House Oversight Committee to consider contempt yet again.

BOLDUAN: What about this GAO investigation, do you think?

HONIG: Yes. I'm not quite sure of the utility of this one. I mean, GAO is actually part of the legislative branch. It's an arm of Congress. I'm not sure what GAO is going to do better or different than what the House Oversight Committee is doing. GAO is nonpartisan. But if you look at the performance of the House Oversight Committee, it's not been perfect. But, by and large, they are working together. They are getting things done on a more or less bipartisan basis. I think actually the bigger development was last week DOJ's own internal inspector general announced that they would be investigating.

Now, DOJ's I.G. only has powers within DOJ, but they're going to have access to all the internal documents and memos, are going to be able to interview people within DOJ. I think we actually might learn more from that one from the inspector general than from GAO.

But at this point, you know, you have to wonder, are we getting to a point where there's too many overlapping investigations that may start working at cross purposes to one another?

BOLDUAN: Very interesting. It's good to see you, Elie. Thank you so much.

A big shakeup happening in the world of golf, Saudi Arabia pulling its funding from the LIV Golf tournament. What does this mean for all of those big name players who had jumped ship from the PGA? Is the PGA ready to welcome them back?

And buried in rubble for 44 hours, a dog's incredible story of survival after a powerful tornado tears through its home.

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[07:20:00]

BERMAN: This morning, a new chapter in the controversial life of LIV Golf, maybe it's, last question mark?

Let's get right to CNN's Coy Wire for the latest on this. Coy, what's going on here?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, John. LIV Golf is losing its Saudi financial backing. In a press release just moments ago, LIV says it's restructuring its model. It's appointed a new independent board and is seeking new investors. The circuit set out to rival the PGA Tour as the world's top destination for pro-golf. LIV lured some of the game's top names with boatloads of money, largely from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. A source told CNN Sports that LIV is already informed players and staff that the PIF is withdrawing its backing at the end of the season.

ESPN reports that multiple representatives for LIV players have started to reach out to the PGA Tour about exploring a path to return to play on the circuit again.

NHL playoffs, the battle of Pennsylvania playoff-style Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Penguins trying to pull off a history heights, down 3-0 in the series, looking to become just the 11th team to force a game seven.

[07:25:03] But through regulation, this was goose eggs. Goalie standing tall in overtime, enter Cam York, a man with zero career playoff goals until why not now? York delivers the game-winner, unforgettable, then launches his stick into the crowd, like he tossing a bouquet at a hockey wedding. Flyers fly onto the second round for the first time in six years.

NBA now, Pistons and Magic felt like two superheroes trading haymakers. Former number one picks, Detroit's Cade Cunningham, Orlando's Paolo Banchero, Banchero out there playing like he's playing NBA 2K on rookie mode, 45 points. Cade Cunningham said, copy and paste, also 45 points, Pistons' playoff record.

And Detroit was facing elimination here, but Cunningham hits this step back jumper with 30 seconds to go, ice in his veins. Detroit wins 116- 109, series now 3-2 Magic, but this thing has sequel written all over it.

MLB now, Detroit's Defending Cy Young Winner Tarek Skubal facing league best Atlanta Braves. Skubal sending screamers, seven innings pitch, seven strikeouts, two earned runs. Tigers had a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth. But up steps Atlanta's Matt Olson, walk-off two- run homer off of Kenley Jansen. Truist Park erupts like a shaken soda can. That's his fourth career walk-off, first with the Braves, treating pressure like it's optional.

Cue the double bubble shower, the Braves win 4-3. John, the Braves are the hottest thing in baseball right now.

BERMAN: Yes. It must be nice to have a baseball team that can hit and pitch and play baseball, says the Red Sox fan.

Coy Wire, thank you very much.

WIRE: You got it.

BERMAN: All right. Dozens and dozens arrested after what police say is a dangerous new trend. Street takeovers, they say, are not entertainment, they're dangerous, illegal, and put lives at risk.

And then the police officers who kind of MacGyvered the rescue in rising flood waters, the jumper cables that saved the day, I'm assuming not plugged in.

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[07:30:00]