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Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Caine Testify on Capitol Hill; King Charles Bids Farewell to Trump as He Wraps Historic U.S. Trip; Trump Pulls Surgeon General Pick, Makes Third Nomination; Day 3 of Testimony as Musk Sues OpenAI for Turning for-profit. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired April 30, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:20]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Grilled on the Hill. Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth facing some tough questions about the war with Iran, as Americans feel its impact on everything from rising gas prices to the cost of fertilizer. And if at first you don't succeed, President Trump pulls his Surgeon General pick again and makes a third nomination for the role. That position is the nation's leading spokesperson on public health.

And a tech bro breakup leads to a legal battle over OpenAI, one that could impact the future of artificial intelligence. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

We're following Breaking News off of Capitol Hill. Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth just wrapping up a hearing on the cost of the war with Iran. Just moments ago, Democratic Senator, Mark Kelly, who of course is a retired Navy captain, asked about the costs and the amount of munitions expended so far. Here's that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK KELLY, (D-AZ): Can you tell us how many years, specifically, is it going to take to replace these systems?

PETE HEGSETH, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I think that's exactly the right question too, Senator, because the time frame we were existing under was unacceptable.

KELLY: OK, well, tell me --

HEGSETH: What this budget does. I mean months and years, fast, years. I mean, we're building new plants in real time.

KELLY: So just to replace what we have expended --

HEGSETH: I said months.

KELLY: And then you said years. HEGSETH: It depends on the weapon system, but two to three, 4X of what we have today.

(CROSSTALK)

KELLY: So we fired years' worth of munitions and it is clear that we're -- these are being expended to try to achieve some objectives. That was the plan. But Mr. Secretary, this war is stuck.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Let's bring in CNN's Brian Todd.

All right, Brian, how did this come -- I wonder how this compared to yesterday. What did we learn so far?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Interesting, Brianna. That question, that was the most serious grilling that Pete Hegseth got about the cost of the war from Senator Kelly there. There was one other set of questions from Senator Blumenthal about the cost. It didn't really range into cost beyond those two exchanges.

What you saw today were wide-ranging topics from Pete Hegseth's faith, his Christianity. He was pressed on that by Senator Reid. That was interesting.

I think what stood out to us was that his most serious grilling was from at least two Senators who pressed him on the rationale for the war and the lack of popularity of this war. Senator Gillibrand from New York and Senator Tammy Duckworth, both saying there was no existential threat to the U.S. by Iran when this war started.

Let's take a listen to the exchange with Senator Gillibrand when she talked about that and also just the unpopularity of the war.

(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 is critically important that we undertake it. And I would remind you and this group that we're two months in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Now, that is something that he said often yesterday. We're two months in. Don't accuse us of being in a quagmire, and that kind of thing.

What he also said often today and he said it to Senator Gillibrand was he believes that a lot of the Democrats are hindering the war effort because they're naysayers. That they're being too negative about the war and its public perception.

KEILAR: Defeatists.

TODD: Defeatists, naysayers, he had another really interesting phrase today. But this was, Brianna, a hearing that had wide ranging topics. One really interesting exchange was with Senator Elizabeth Warren who really grilled him on how these people are winning bets on prediction markets. There was a soldier that was prosecuted for that.

She was pressing him on what are you guys doing to look into this? What are you guys doing to investigate these people making money on prediction markets? He said, basically, we're all above board. We have to focus on the war effort. We're not really reviewing that. That was not very satisfactory to Elizabeth Warren.

KEILAR: Yeah. Especially when there's a lot of focus on classified information.

TODD: Yeah.

KEILAR: Certainly, there's a big concern of information period that the media might report.

TODD: Yes.

[14:05:00]

KEILAR: And when you're talking about prediction markets, you are talking about very sensitive classified information.

TODD: Which she characterized as insider information. Now, Hegseth is saying we're completely above board. We can't review that right now. We've got to focus on, you know, the orders of the day and prosecuting this war so that he was trying to kind of sidestep that issue, at least for now.

KEILAR: Interesting. We'll see if he can continue to do that. Brian, thank you so much for checking out this hearing for us. Boris?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Let's discuss this and more with Marc Short. He served as the former Chief of Staff to Vice President Mike Pence. He was also the White House Legislative Affairs Director during the first Trump administration and is currently the Board Chair of Advancing American Freedom. Marc, great to see you, as always.

MARC SHORT, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: Boris, thanks for having me.

SANCHEZ: Let's start with Secretary Hegseth's hearings. What do you think of how he's handled them, specifically the questions about how expensive this war is getting for Americans?

SHORT: I think that Pete is getting a lot of criticism for the confrontational nature. But Boris, I don't think that the members of the House and Senate are looking to have a highbrow conversation here. This is not the right forum where you're actually going to get that anymore. Unfortunately, both sides are looking for the confrontation.

I think to Pete, the reality is that recruitment is up. The military operation in Venezuela was a huge success. The first strike in Iran was successful. And by all accounts, the military operations here have been incredibly successful. And he deserves credit for that.

I think that my challenge is I think that the administration could do a better job explaining to the American people why and what the goal is. I think it's a historic opportunity for the Trump administration. They can reshape the Middle East for generations to come. And if they're successful, actually the risk premium on energy prices will go down.

But so far, we've heard it's to make sure we get all of their uranium. We've heard it's regime change. We've heard it's to destabilize the military.

SANCHEZ: Mixed messages.

SHORT: Mixed messages. And even yesterday, the president is saying Russia is going to help. That's preposterous. I mean, basically, Iran has been supplying drones to Russia to kill innocent Ukrainians. And so the messaging, I think overall, I think I have concerns with. But I actually think that a lot of the complaints about Pete in this particular hearing, it's not like Democrats are looking to have a highbrow conversation here.

SANCHEZ: These hearings are generally made for TV, right?

SHORT: Exactly.

SANCHEZ: They're made for clipping and that sort of thing. But with gas prices and inflation now at higher levels than when President Trump took office, there are concerns about affordability, in part because he won the 2024 election running on affordability. We're still six months out from the midterms, but undoubtedly that has to cause concern because now he needs to secure that deal in order to sort of present this as a win to the American people, doesn't he?

SHORT: I think it's a huge concern politically, and I think that this is in many cases been exacerbated by the president's trade agenda. You're right. I think he was elected in part because of the border and in part to reduce inflation. And even though inflation has gone down from nine to 3.5 percent now, it's not like that's a decrease.

It's 3.5 percent over last year, so prices continue to rise. And I think that you're right that there should be a better explanation to say here's what the end goal is here, because even when you heard Chris Wright go on TV and set expectations, it may not be till next year they were back below $4 a gallon, the administration quickly slapped his hand and said, no, it'll be immediate. And it's not going to be.

There's too many supply disruptions for that to happen.

SANCHEZ: So last week, when President Trump's political team was talking, it was meeting and we heard some of the discussion through sources about midterms. There was discussion of wanting to frame the midterms as a choice between Democrats and Republicans, not a referendum on President Trump.

Isn't that impossible just given how he dominates all headlines and also just how divisive he is?

SHORT: I think it's the right approach, Boris. I do think there has to be a contrast to what Democrat policies would be. But I think you're also correct. The reality is the midterm, particularly when one party is in power, ends up being a referendum on the president. And so I think it's a challenge, but I do think it's the right strategy, is to make this instead when the president's in the 30s on approval is to make this, but look at how crazy left the Democrats are.

SANCHEZ: So King Charles is set to depart the United States in, I think, maybe an hour or so. It struck me that much of his message while he was here and specifically talking to Congress, checks against the executive branch, the importance of NATO, tolerance, the environment. He not so subtly indicated that he doesn't view things the way that President Trump does.

And at speech after speech, he got a standing ovation. I wonder how you think the visit went, especially when it comes to repairing frayed relations between the U.K. and the U.S.

SHORT: There's no denying that the president does not have a good relationship with Starmer. It's clear that he does have a good relationship with Charles -- King Charles, and I think that he handled it masterfully. I think that the way he diplomatically addressed some of those things with Congress, but did it in a sleight of hand to some of the administration policies I thought was really well handled. I do think that --

[14:10:00]

SANCHEZ: Does it sway Trump?

SHORT: I don't think it is. I don't think it is.

(LAUGH)

SHORT: I mean, I think that -- I think that the U.K. and much of the E.U. made a terrible mistake in not supporting the United States' efforts in Iran. Reality is that they complained about the president not supporting NATO as it replies to Ukraine and I think they're right on that, but it undercuts the argument when they're not coming and partnering with us against the world's greatest sponsor of terror who has also killed many innocent Europeans.

SANCHEZ: Yet, Russia invaded Ukraine in an unprovoked attack.

SHORT: I totally agree with you, Boris. SANCHEZ: Any attack from Iran was possibly years away if it were to happen.

SHORT: No, no, no. I mean, listen.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: That's according to the intelligence agency. They didn't --

(CROSSTALK)

SHORT: Come on, they've been funding Hamas and Hezbollah.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: There's no doubt about that, but an attack on the mainland was not imminent.

SHORT: I mean, they've been killing innocent Westerners for quite some time.

SANCHEZ: Marc Short, we'll leave the conversation there. We appreciate the time. Thanks so much for joining us.

SHORT: Thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Coming up, President Trump pulling his nomination for Surgeon General as he announces his third choice for the job. What we're learning about this new pick. And later, a heroic rescue caught on camera. The unusual way police saved a mother stranded in Texas floodwaters. That and much more coming your way, next.

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[14:15:47]

KEILAR: We are following new developments as President Trump announces a third pick for Surgeon General. The president just pulled the nomination of Dr. Casey Means. He replaced her with a new contender, Dr. Nicole Saphier. The president blaming Louisiana Republican Senator, Bill Cassidy, for this change after Dr. Means' nomination stalled on the Hill.

Let's go to CNN Health Reporter, Jacqueline Howard. All right, Jacqueline, maybe the third time is a charm here. This is his third attempt for Surgeon General in his second term. Tell us more about Dr. Nicole Saphier.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: That's right, Brianna, the nation has been waiting for a confirmed surgeon general and what we know about Dr. Saphier, she is listed as a radiologist on the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's website. We know that she specifically has expertise in breast imaging and breast cancer.

We also know that she has been a media contributor including reporting with Fox News or contributing, I should say, with Fox News. And on her social media she describes herself as a full-time mother, full-time wife and full-time doctor.

And again Brianna, this search for Surgeon General, it has been happening for more than a year now. If we look back at the timeline, in November 2024 is when President Trump nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as Surgeon General. She is a New York family physician and she is a former Fox News medical contributor. And we know that her nomination was pulled just days before her Senate confirmation hearing.

And then the second nomination was for Dr. Casey Means and her confirmation hearing was in February, but we now know, Brianna, that that nomination has been pulled and Dr. Saphier is now the third nomination. So we're waiting to see what will happen next with Dr. Saphier's nomination moving forward.

KEILAR: So what happens when you don't have a surgeon general in place? Why is it so important to get this going?

HOWARD: The surgeon general is basically the nation's doctor. So Brianna, this is incredibly important to have a surgeon general in place. And the surgeon general educates the public on health issues, issues advisories. For instance, we've had advisories on social media and youth mental health. We've seen advisories on the link between alcohol and cancer risk.

The surgeon general also serves in the Public Health Service Commission Corps. So this is incredibly important and that's why, Brianna, again, many eyes are on Dr. Saphier as she is now nominated as Surgeon General for the country.

KEILAR: All right, Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much.

Still ahead, it's the court battle over OpenAI. Elon Musk taking the stand for another day of testimony in the trial against the tech company he helped start. Key moments from the case, next.

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[14:23:25]

SANCHEZ: Elon Musk was back on the witness stand for a third day of testimony in his lawsuit against OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Questioning turned contentious at times as Musk insisted the company and its CEO, Sam Altman, betrayed him when it switched to a for-profit business. Musk claims that OpenAI betrayed its initial non-profit mission, while OpenAI says this is about competition with Musk's own artificial intelligence company, xAI.

CNN A.I. Correspondent, Hadas Gold is outside the courthouse for us in Oakland, California following this trial. Hadas, what's the latest?

HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, so Elon Musk just wrapped up about eight hours of testimony, being on the stand over the course of three days in this trial that could completely shake up the A.I. industry and change the course of one of the best-known A.I. companies, ChatGPT maker OpenAI. So over the last three days, attorneys for both Elon Musk and OpenAI and its executives, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, tried to prove their version of the case.

For Elon Musk, it's about that he was deceived into donating $38 million to what he thought was going to remain a non-profit, only for it to have a for-profit subsidiary and now a for-profit structure as well, and it's one of the most valuable A.I. companies out there.

OpenAI's attorneys have tried to argue that Elon Musk himself at different points pushed for a for-profit structure of some kind, so that they could compete with the likes of Google, and saying this is just a case of Elon Musk who was not able to gain control of OpenAI for himself, now trying to bring a competitor down because he of course has his own A.I. company, xAI.

Elon Musk told the court and told the jury of nine Californians that OpenAI stole a charity and that he essentially gave free funding for a startup.

[14:25:00]

He called himself a fool for believing that. They brought up messages from 2022 between Sam Altman and Elon Musk, where Elon Musk brought up OpenAI's $20 billion valuation, telling Sam Altman, this feels like a bait and switch. Sam Altman responding, I agree, this feels bad.

OpenAI attorneys, for their part, brought up evidence that Musk at various points pushed for a for-profit structure in various emails and meeting notes. At one point, even having his assistants register a for-profit benefit corporation under the OpenAI name, trying to prove that this is just about Elon Musk didn't get control and now he has his own competing A.I. company. He's trying to bring down a competitor.

There were, of course, many fireworks. A lot of times, Elon Musk clashed with OpenAI's attorneys saying that you're trying to trick me. And even today, he had a moment with the judge. He tried to accuse OpenAI's attorney of doing leading questions, leading answers.

And the judge turned to him and said, Mr. Musk, you're not an attorney, so you can't make those accusations. But he is done for the day. He could potentially be recalled throughout the course of this trial. It's expected to go on for a few more weeks, where we're going to hear from big names like Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella and of course, OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman. Guys?

SANCHEZ: Hadas Gold, live for us in Oakland, thank you so much.

Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth was back in the hot seat for another round of questioning over the war with Iran as officials provide President Trump with new options for the conflict. We're going to discuss what may come, next. Stay with us.

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