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'Apprentice' Reboot?; Partial Government Shutdown Finally Over?; Gas Prices Skyrocketing; Alleged D.C. Gunman Appears in Court; Pete Hegseth Grilled on Capitol Hill. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired April 30, 2026 - 13:00   ET

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

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: But, regardless, any chance that this president has to slam a guy, Bill Cassidy, who is one of the Republicans who voted to impeach him after January 6, the president takes.

[13:00:05]

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: I mean, and he did not say, at least in this TRUTH here, who he's supporting. And that's Congresswoman Julia Letlow.

BASH: Yes.

ZELENY: So -- but it's a three-way primary there, so this is -- stay tuned on that. Obviously, the president is newly engaged in the Louisiana primary.

BASH: Yes, reengaged.

(LAUGHTER)

ZELENY: Reengaged.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

BASH: Yes.

All right, guys, thank you so much. Thank you for a rock 'n' roll hour.

(LAUGHTER)

BASH: Thanks for joining INSIDE POLITICS.

"CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Round two, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth grilled on Capitol Hill for a second day, as President Trump is briefed on his options for the war in Iran, with no easy answers for ending the conflict.

And over a barrel. The price of oil hits the highest that it has been in years, and gas prices are now up more than $1.30 since the war began, the supply shock right now hurting Americans who can least afford the economic pain.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: And you're hired. Amazon reportedly looking to revive "The Apprentice." They may already have a certain Trump in mind to host the show.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: Happening right now, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is back on Capitol Hill, this time testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee. He's again defending the war with Iran as he attempts to secure a $1.5 trillion defense budget.

Today, he was asked about the various stated objectives for the war coming from the Trump administration. Here was his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JACK REED (D-RI): So you have not achieved any of the objectives yet that -- as the president mentioned.

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: So we have put the president in a very strong position to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. That's the takeaway that's been underneath every single aspect of this.

Weekend after the 12-day war in Midnight Hammer, which did obliterate their sites, President Trump saw an opportunity because their ambitions continued to ensure that umbrella of nuclear blackmail did not allow them to get to a nuclear weapon. And the world is safer because of his bold and historic choice.

REED: Mr. Secretary, I think that's rhetorical, but not factual.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN's Zach Cohen has been closely monitoring this hearing today.

Zach, what stood out so far on this one?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Brianna, for the second day in a row, Secretary Hegseth grilled by lawmakers over the Trump administration's justification for starting this conflict with Iran, its timeline for bringing the conflict to an end, as well as the strategy about how it plans to do so.

And, frankly, there was a lot of disagreement in the room, especially among Democrats, for pretty much everything Hegseth said on all three fronts. You heard that exchange with Senator Reed, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, effectively saying that he didn't buy what Hegseth was saying about how this military campaign so far has reduced the threat of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.

And, at the end of the day, that is really the clearest objective that the president and Hegseth have both set forth since starting this war over 60 days ago. And lawmakers, as they're considering this $1.5 trillion defense spending request for next year, wanted answers from Hegseth.

Kirsten Gillibrand, one of the top Democrats on this committee as well, really pushing Hegseth to explain why the U.S. is carrying out a war that polling suggests is deeply unpopular and really took issue with the assertion that the threat from Iran is reduced due to this campaign.

Take a listen to what that exchange looked like.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY): There's no evidence that we are safer because of this war. We did not have any evidence that Iran intended to imminently attack this country in any way, shape, or form.

What I'm concerned about is, we are not safer. And I would just like to know why you have not sought the support of the American people. And three out of five Americans are against this war today.

HEGSETH: I believe we do have the support of the American people, and we have briefed regularly what this mission looks like and why it's critically important that we undertake it. And I would remind you and this group that we're two months in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So, Hegseth was also pushed on the financial cost of this conflict, which, obviously, yesterday, a Pentagon official said was $25 billion, give or take.

We reported last night that it's likely double that amount. Senator Blumenthal really pushing Hegseth and the Pentagon comptroller to explain that discrepancy. It appears that it did leave out some of the financial impacts of the war, including damage to bases, which we know was significant in the early days.

KEILAR: Yes, give or take may be doing a lot of work there.

Zach Cohen, thank you so much for the report -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Gas prices in the United States jumped another 7 cents overnight after President Trump said he could extend his blockade of Iranian ports for months.

[13:05:01]

Right now, a gallon of gas is averaging $4.30, nearly 30 cents up from last week. According to GasBuddy, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio have been the hardest hit, with prices up 84, 72, and 60 cents per gallon, respectively. GasBuddy also finds that, altogether, Americans have spent an extra $21 billion at the pump since the war began.

We're joined now by Patrick De Haan. He's the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

Thanks so much for being with us, Patrick.

So, overnight, oil prices went on a roller-coaster ride. They were up $126 a barrel. And then they went down to $114 a barrel. Some of that has to do with the timing of contracts. Help us understand.

PATRICK DE HAAN, HEAD OF PETROLEUM ANALYSIS, GASBUDDY: Yes, when you look at those WTI futures, those Brent futures, obviously that oil can't be delivered that moment. It's agreeing to deliver that oil at a moment in the future. Depending on how soon that moment is, you're seeing a premium in the barrels that can be delivered sooner, rather than later.

Now, there's two different contracts that really are the benchmark, WTI crude oil, West Texas Intermediate, and Brent crude oil. And those delivery times are really what's driving the price differences. There's a premium being placed on barrels that can be delivered sooner, rather than later.

In fact, if you were to look at different assessments, dated Brent, which is more in immediate delivery in the next week or so, is trading even higher. And that really tells you that the market is searching desperately for barrels as soon as possible. And they don't want to wait until potentially a delivery for May or even June.

And that's, unfortunately, the reality of how tight the market is now, is that you're seeing a very heavy focus, with much higher prices, on those barrels that can get to the market sooner.

SANCHEZ: I'm curious to get your take on some recent comments from Iran's oil minister, because he downplayed the effects of the U.S. naval blockade, but simultaneously urged a national reduction in energy consumption.

Some government offices in Iran are not being allowed to use up to 70 percent of their energy resources on a given day. Do you think that this is a sign that the energy blockade on Iran is working?

DE HAAN: I think there certainly are some signs that it may be really putting upward pressure or at least pressure on Iran.

You look at some of the decrepit tanks that Iran is starting to use to stash oil in. You look at energy consumption requests. And for the same token, while Iran may be facing more pressure, the president may be facing more pressure, as gas prices jump to $5 a gallon in several Midwest states.

We're seeing the national average now $4.36. It likely will head to $4.50. So the pressure is being ratcheted up on both the U.S. president with rising energy prices. And you talked about something that the president had touted last week, that is other countries buying U.S. products. They're doing exactly that.

And that is putting a lot more pressure on gas prices in the U.S. Just in the last seven days, nearly 100 million barrels of oil and refined products like gasoline, diesel and jet fuel have been exported out of the United States. And that's why you're seeing gas prices see this renewed upward jump.

SANCHEZ: Patrick, I also wanted you, if you could, to clarify a claim from President Trump regarding how the blockade might cause Iran's oil lines to explode.

The president said that something happens to these lines when they're not being properly used or properly maintained. He cited that infrastructure issues created by blocked shipments would lead to that. Is that real? Is that likely to happen?

DE HAAN: I mean, I can't imagine what the president may be referring to. When lines aren't used, they don't explode. When they're used to capacity, they don't explode. There's only a finite amount of oil you can put into a pipeline.

So I'm not, from an energy perspective, very understanding of what the president might be alluding to. Things don't just abruptly explode when you let them go. I think the problem could be, the president could be talking about, is that Iran is having to find older tanks that are decrepit, in perilous condition.

And some of those tanks could be at risk. And that's how desperate Iran is to find at least sources of storage for its oil, as the blockade on its ports is now backing up oil production into the country. So that's my best guess, but I'm not really sure.

SANCHEZ: Patrick De Haan, thank you so much for being with us and sharing your expertise.

DE HAAN: Thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Still to come: the man charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump appearing in court, as investigators release new details about what allegedly was on his phone.

Plus, is the reality show that made Donald Trump a household name now making a comeback? What we're learning about a possible reboot of "The Apprentice" and the other Trump being floated as host.

That and much more coming your way next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:14:17]

KEILAR: We have breaking news into CNN. The partial government shutdown is about to be over.

SANCHEZ: Let's go to CNN's Manu Raju.

Manu, what happened? MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this has been

the longest government shutdown in American history. Now it's 75 days. Department of Homeland Security has been shuttered. Vital agencies have not been operating normally.

And people have not been getting paid. That is about to end, because the house just approved by voice vote a Senate bill that would reopen all the Department of Homeland Security except for two agencies underneath that vital agency, those agencies, ICE and Customs and Border Protection. They're not funded by this bill.

[13:15:01]

But it does fund every other aspect of this agency. Secret Service, FEMA and other components of the Department of Homeland Security will be opened under this bill once President Trump signs this into law. This has been shut down for 75 days, the department has, but this bill has been sitting in the House for more than 30 days.

In fact, 35 days ago, the United States Senate passed this measure, but the speaker of the House at that point said he would not go along with it because he said he was concerned it did not include funding for immigration enforcement.

Democrats in the Senate, whose votes are vital to pass this bill, said they would absolutely not approve any funding for ICE unless changes were made to how ICE agents are being deployed across the country. As a result, Senate Republicans cut a deal and said, we will fund every other aspect of the Department of Homeland Security, except for those two agencies, and try to fund immigration enforcement along a separate measure that they could approve along party lines.

But the speaker of the House still was not sold. He still would not move on that Senate-passed plan, which was approved by the Senate twice without any dissenting votes in the Senate. The speaker still said, no way, he would not go along with it.

But things changed. After President Trump moved to pay some of these federal employees through executive action, the Department of Homeland Security warned that that authority would dry up this week, meaning that they had to approve something this week.

And the White House called on the speaker to move on the Senate bill immediately. Still, the speaker would not say for several days what he would do. In fact, he called for changes to the Senate bill. As early as yesterday, when I asked him if he would approve the Senate bill, he said he still wanted some changes to this bill, but a change just now in the speaker's approach, approving this measure, taking it to the House floor.

It was approved by voice vote, under pressure from his members, under pressure from the White House and Senate Republican leaders. Now, House Republican leaders are bound to say they believe that immigration enforcement will be approved on this separate measure that is moving through the House and the Senate that they can approve along party lines. The will still take a few weeks to play out, but, at the moment, a

sigh of relief for many who have worked for the Department of Homeland Security, for many who are concerned about the impacts that this could have for TSA and the like and airline security that this bill is now about to head to the president's desk, will be signed into law, and this shutdown about to end -- guys.

KEILAR: Yes, and the Coast Guard, active duty and civilian employees, we heard the commandant of the Coast Guard sounding the alarm, his wife, the ombudsman at large of the Coast Guard, sounding the alarm here this week, because, even though you had Coast Guard members getting paid, they have not been reimbursed for thousands and thousands of dollars of service-related expenses.

They have been taking out loans and credit cards. Is there an appetite, Manu, for -- I mean, even, as they say, like, they have been paying these people, they are in deep doo-doo financially. No one is going to pay them back for the interest that they're paying on these loans...

RAJU: Yes.

KEILAR: ... and these credit cards. Some people have lost houses that they were up for. I mean, what is Congress going to do to make sure that they don't go through another shutdown?

Because this was the longest one, but they have now been through a series of them.

RAJU: Yes. Yes, this is the third shutdown that's happened in this term of President Donald Trump, third in the last year, six months or so.

The first was the entire federal government. Then it was part of the federal government. Then it was just the Department of Homeland Security, which means, as you said, those Coast Guard employees and all the rest of the employees under the Department of Homeland Security have dealt with three different shutdowns.

And the impacts have been so profound, impacting so many people's lives. People have had to leave. Like, so many TSA agents have just left their jobs because they can't deal with the uncertainty of not getting paid, taking second jobs on the side, and having such an impact on so many people's lives.

The question is going to be, how will Congress deal with some of those folks who have been impacted? That's uncertain. We do expect, though, everybody to get their back pay eventually for people who have not been paid. That is -- that is part of the law. They're required to get paid.

So that should happen. But what about those people who had to leave their jobs altogether, who are also dealing with their own emotional stress from the shutdown? Those are all things, of course, that Congress cannot fix, but the problem that they caused from this fight. Now, the question will be, is this going to be -- we're in almost May. This is only going to fund that agency until the end of September, which means another shutdown fight poised to happen just weeks before the midterm elections. And it could happen this fall.

KEILAR: Yes, no interest paid on those -- on that back pay or on those late reimbursements, although these folks are on the hook for it, we should note.

RAJU: Yes.

KEILAR: Manu, thank you so much. Really appreciate the update.

RAJU: Yes.

KEILAR: Pretty amazing, the House passing the bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, minus some parts of it.

[13:20:03]

Next: Before voters said, "You're hired," the president made a living saying, of course, "You're fired." Now is the once popular reality show "The Apprentice" about to make a comeback?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: We're following a second hearing for the man charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump during last weekend's White House Correspondents' Dinner.

This time, prosecutors urged the judge to keep Cole Allen in custody as he awaits trial, calling his plot one of -- quote -- "extreme political violence." Prosecutors are also sharing new images of Allen, including a selfie that he took just before the attack, showing at least four weapons strapped to his body.

CNN crime and justice correspondent Katelyn Polantz was inside the courtroom for today's hearing.

[13:25:04]

Katelyn, tell us what it was like in there. What did you hear? What did you see?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, this was supposed to be a hearing over whether Cole Allen should stay in jail. The answer is, he will as he awaits trial.

He didn't have any issue with that at this time. But, in this courtroom -- I was there on Monday. I was there again today. It felt a little bit different. There were fewer U.S. Marshals protecting the courtroom and keeping an eye on Cole Allen.

The U.S. attorney, Jeanine Pirro, she didn't attend today. She attended on Monday. And, also, he seemed to be a little bit more subdued, just as his personality. He's a very tall guy. And, on Monday, when the marshals came out, he stood very straight up. He spoke very loudly and confidently when he was asked questions by the judge.

But, this time, there were even bigger Marshals flanking him when he came into the courtroom than there were on Monday. And he was very much hunched over. And he was a lot more softly spoken when he was speaking into the microphone answering the judge's questions today.

He also had a different jumpsuit on. It was orange, and he had leg restraints on, so just a little bit different of the feel of the courtroom. This was a hearing that there was going to be arguments over whether he should remain detained. He said that he was OK with being detained.

But the Justice Department, they wanted to put more evidence out there, things we haven't heard of before. And this is a moment where the Justice Department has had questions asked of them about who was he trying to shoot at and did he fire his shot? That is something that's likely to come later, as we learn more about this case and the Justice Department continues its evidence gathering and its investigation -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Katelyn, thank you for taking us inside the courtroom with you. We appreciate it -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: The reality show that catapulted Donald Trump's catchphrase, "You're fired," could soon make a return.

"The Wall Street Journal" is reporting that Amazon is now potentially in talks for a reboot of "The Apprentice." And word is that, as Trump's successor, his son Don Jr. might be the new host.

Let's bring in CNN's Brian Stelter, who has the latest on this.

Brian, what are you learning?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes, this is fascinating, according to "The Wall Street Journal."

I don't hear anybody saying "You're fired' yet, but maybe someday. This "Wall Street Journal" report says that Amazon executives have talked internally about possibly rebooting the show with the father handing off to the son, with Donald Trump Jr. as the host.

But "The Journal" also said that this idea was first brought up inside Amazon early last year. And, so far, it has not really moved forward yet, which suggests to me that this show may never actually be green- lit and produced. Amazon owns the rights to "The Apprentice" franchise and the old episodes through its acquisition of MGM back in 2022.

So here's what Amazon told CNN -- quote -- "Since that acquisition, we have held preliminary internal discussions about what's next for 'The Apprentice' as a property. The show is not in active development, and any reporting on details of the show or the names potential hosts would be purely speculative." Well, let's continue the speculation for a moment. Amazon recently made that Melania film, which put tens of millions of dollars right into the Trump family's pockets. Producing a reboot of "The Apprentice" would deliver even more money to the Trumps.

And so that's partly why this is getting a lot of scrutiny, a lot of criticism online. Now, the "Journal" story said that Amazon has not approached the Trump family. Now, I take "The Journal"'s reporting, I believe "The Journal"'s reporting, but I do want to point out that, just last week, President Trump happened to be reminiscing about the good old days on "The Apprentice."

He posted this on TRUTH Social, bragging about the ratings for the show 20 years ago. I just -- I just don't know why he happened to be thinking about those good old days, but maybe he does want some version of "The Apprentice" to come back. We just don't know, Boris.

SANCHEZ: And, Brian, you have some new reporting about what was initially a call from President Trump for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired into what has become a demand now.

STELTER: Yes, worth paying attention to this, because President Trump seems to want to keep this in the news. He seems to want to keep the pressure on ABC, even though parent company Disney is showing no signs of cutting ties with Kimmel.

In fact, ABC is defending him, standing by him, not with a public statement, but by putting the show on the air every night. So, here's the new post from President Trump. Look at the language here.

It says: "When is ABC fake news network firing Kimmel?" He goes on and calls the show one of the lowest rated shows on TV, which is not true. But then he says, "People are angry," which is true. There's still a lot of MAGA media energy, a lot of pro-Trump influencers demanding that ABC take action.

Trump's words there, it says, "It better be soon," he said, with three exclamation points. So, of course, that raises an obvious question, so what? What if ABC doesn't follow through, right? Disney is showing no signs of breaking up with its star host.

Disney believes this is a First Amendment fight that's worth having. And we know the FCC, of course, pressuring Disney, threatening ABC station licenses.

We heard from FCC Chair Brendan Carr earlier today. He insists that the probe into Disney is all about DEI practices and has nothing to do with Kimmel. But I don't really know anybody who covers this beat or studies this industry who actually believes that.