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Hundreds Of Military And Intel Personnel Carry Out Daring Rescue In Iran; Trump Issues Profanity-Laced Warning To Iran; Interview With Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ); Artemis II's Historic Journey Around the Moon; Oil Prices Rising Amid Trump's New Iran War Threats; UConn And Michigan Play For Men's Title Tomorrow Night. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired April 05, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:36]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean in New York.

And tonight we are learning more about the incredible rescue mission U.S. forces carried out to retrieve an airman who had been shot down behind enemy lines in Iran. U.S. officials telling CNN that mission involved hundreds of American military intelligence personnel. As that officer evaded capture for more than a day, hiding alone in a mountain crevice.

The president taking to social media this morning to announce the successful mission and also reiterate his threats against Iran, announcing Tehran has until Tuesday to open the critical Strait of Hormuz, warning Iranians to open that or you'll be living in hell, adding "Praise be to Allah."

CNN national security reporter Haley Britzky joining us now.

Haley, tell us more about this incredibly intricate and extensive operation to rescue the U.S. airmen from Iran.

HALEY BRITZKY, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica, just absolutely amazing details that we've been learning since this operation yesterday to bring out this weapon systems officer, nicknamed Wizzo in the military community, who was in this F-15 that was shot down on Friday. This involved hundreds of military and intel personnel, dozens of aircraft.

This was a very intricate operation. Of course, the risks were incredibly high for those people carrying it out on the ground or in those aircraft above. And we know that this officer was hiding, as you said, in these -- in the mountains in Iran for roughly a day, evading capture as Iranian state media reported Friday, that there would be a reward for someone who captured this, what they said was an enemy pilot.

And so it really speaks to the training that these airmen receive, and that he was able to do that. We know that the CIA ultimately was who identified his exact location as he was kind of sporadically communicating with the U.S., of course, wanting them to know where he was, but also wanting to balance not giving away his location to Iranian personnel who were going to be looking for him as well.

Leading up to the extraction, U.S. aircraft dropping, conducting strikes in the area to sort of push back any enemy fighters who may have been coming into the area. We know there was some complications to special operations, transport aircraft that had been waiting on a remote airstrip nearby to help exfiltrate the American personnel were damaged, and officials decided to blow up those planes essentially, and bring in new ones instead of risking them falling into Iran's hands.

And Iranian state media put out video of aircraft records that you're seeing now, showing a pretty large field of burned out debris. It's unclear what that -- what aircraft that's from, but it does speak to just what was happening on the ground here. Of course, the president, as you mentioned, announcing that this was a successful operation just around midnight last night, saying that we got him and that he would ultimately be OK.

Really incredible operational details. And I'm sure some we'll will continue to learn in the coming days and weeks.

DEAN: Yes. And do we know anything further about the condition of the airman besides that, what the president said he'll be OK?

BRITZKY: Yes. So the president did say again that he would -- he was seriously wounded. We don't quite know the extent of those injuries. We know that the first pilot who was rescued on Friday was also receiving medical attention. So certainly tomorrow when the president holds a press briefing, he said, to discuss this operation further. We'll hope to hear more information about them and their well-being.

But really incredible details that we've found here and something I'm sure the president will want to continue speaking to tomorrow.

DEAN: All right. Haley Britzky, thank you so much for your reporting. We appreciate it.

And here to discuss more is CNN national security analyst and former deputy director of National Intelligence, Beth Sanner.

Beth, great to have you specifically here today. I think there's so many questions I have. I want to hear what you have to think about it, but I just want to start first by getting your reaction to this incredible rescue operation.

BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes, I mean, it is such a great day and, you know, happening on Easter or thereabouts. You know, I think it brings joy to everyone. And I think to me, this operation is about two things. One is just the incredible capabilities of both our military, but also this kind of team effort, which we'll probably talk about.

[18:05:07]

But the second thing is our values as Americans that, you know, we don't leave anyone behind. And I think, you know, you juxtapose this with Russia and how they literally do not care that, you know, the people they send out into the battles die and they have these meat operations, as they call them. You know, we could not be more different than our adversaries. And I think an event like today really shows who we are and what we're capable of.

DEAN: Yes, it certainly makes you proud of all these Americans who came together to do this. It's incredible. I do want to talk about the teamwork that went involved, that was involved in all of this and the role, I thought that was interesting, too, that the intelligence community played in all of this as well.

SANNER: Yes, it is amazing. And I think that, you know, I was lucky enough to be involved in the UBL operations. You know, and that was one of the very first where we had a very integrated intelligence support with the special operators. You know, it's happened over time, but to me, maybe because of lived experience, that was such an important thing. And now we've seen this relationship develop over the years.

And General Caine, who served as the associate director for military affairs at CIA, was part of what honed this teamwork that we saw today. So you have a person in charge who absolutely knows how to bring intelligence capabilities inside the military, because the military has their own capabilities, but also CIA together. And you know, what we saw with CIA was this kind of dual thing involved.

And, you know, we don't really know what the second part is. We know about the deception campaign, which is very interesting. This kind of information operation to distract the Iranians from where the airman actually was, and perhaps creating some breathing space. But this idea that we located, that CIA, I still, unfortunately, I keep saying we, but CIA still in my heart, you know, was able to locate the airman.

I think -- I'm just guessing here. I'm speculating. But I'm guessing that maybe the MQ-9 drones that are used by both the military and the CIA, but I'm guessing that there was some kind of, you know, they all have infrared cameras, and this allows those drones to be able to locate humans through heat. Right? So you can see literally, and you can see this on the internet, you know, a heat signature of a human.

You can see whether that human is alone, you can see that human, perhaps in a crevice. I'm just guessing, but I suspect that may be it. And maybe we'll find out something else. But if it's classified, I don't think we should know because I like to keep secrets.

DEAN: Maybe they'll keep that secret. And God forbid they ever need to use it again, right? Exactly.

SANNER: Right.

DEAN: It's such an interesting point you make about Caine being formerly in the position where he actually was helping integrate the CIA and the military, and now to be in this position for this mission when communication is so key and opening the lines of communications between these various agencies and the military, that that can be really complicated. And we don't always get that right. And in this case, it seemed like that flowed quite well.

SANNER: Yes. I mean, I can remember back in the Balkans War era where, you know, there was a person in this position like Caine's position and how important that was to making sure that the intelligence community and the military were synced up. Because when we talk about, you know, that there were hundreds of special operations forces involved, there were probably thousands of service people and intelligence officers involved in this operation.

The National Geospatial Agency, I'm sure, was providing the overhead from satellites so they could see literally in the moment as Iranian forces in convoys and even a motorcycle might be moving into the area where the airman was. NSA was listening probably, and hearing what the chatter was between command elements and individual units on the ground. And then CIA maybe with this, you know, helping somehow with the beaconing and the last minute identification of exactly his location.

There's so much involved and so many people and so many expert, skilled people. And I hope Americans recognize this is why we as taxpayers, you know, we support our intelligence community and how much it matters when, you know, really it comes down to something like this.

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DEAN: That's right. It certainly mattered in this case. And they played a key role.

Beth Sanner, thank you so much. Good to see you.

SANNER: Thank you.

DEAN: Gulf nations still bearing the brunt of Iran's attacks as Pakistan and Egypt hope for diplomatic efforts that they will break through. We've got an update, coming up, just ahead.

Plus the Trump administration seeking $1.5 trillion for defense spending as the conflict in the Middle East rages on. We're going to talk with Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer about that. That's straight ahead.

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DEAN: New tonight, a Pakistani official telling CNN Pakistan and Egypt are helping to channel communications between U.S. and Iranian officials. Pakistan confirming the foreign minister has spoken with his Iranian counterpart and assured him of Pakistan's support in de- escalation efforts.

CNN's chief global affairs correspondent, Matthew Chance, has the latest now from Doha.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, tonight, Jessica, there are growing concerns in this region because Iran has again vowed to step up its retaliation against its Gulf Arab neighbors if President Trump eventually carries out his threat to strike Iranian civilian infrastructure. One Iranian official warning tonight that the region will burn.

President Trump now appears to have extended his self-imposed deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, but there's no sign of any negotiations between Washington and Tehran or any public word of compromise by either side. In fact, Iran is suggesting that it will only reopen the strait, which it effectively closed to most shipping at the start of the war, once war reparations are paid, doubling down on its defiant rhetoric.

Now, there have been other talks underway, including between Iran and the Gulf Arab state of Oman aimed at striking a deal to open up the strait through which, of course, some 20 percent of the world's oil and gas supply is normally shipped. An Omani source tells CNN tonight that the discussions have been underway for two weeks and are focused on tankers agreeing to register with Iran before being allowed to pass.

But, I mean, that would effectively formalize Iranian control of the global energy supply route, something the U.S. and many other countries in this region do not want to see. But trouble is the alternative at the moment seems to be escalation. More risks for the region, more risk potentially to U.S. military personnel and more risks for the global economy.

Jessica, back to you.

DEAN: All right, Matthew Chance, thank you so much for that.

We're joined now by Democratic Representative Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey. He serves on the House Intelligence and Financial Services Committees.

Congressman, good to have you here. Thanks for being with us on a Sunday.

REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): Good to see you. Happy Easter.

DEAN: Thanks. You too. We have this remarkable mission to save this U.S. service member. And the more we learn about it, the more incredible it is. I do just want to first get your reaction on that.

GOTTHEIMER: Incredible. As you just said, Jessica. It's really heroic on all counts, right? Not just the pilot, but the team that went in there. This joint U.S.-Israel effort with CIA. Looks like SEAL Team 6, according to accounts I just read, and Israeli Special Forces. Really incredible. Blew up both planes so the Iranians can't get to them. You know, this is exactly what should make everybody very proud. Getting out, getting out and saving that pilot. DEAN: Yes. The president also, in addition to informing all of us

about that rescue mission, is ramping up his threats to bomb Iran's power plants if a deal isn't made to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. I'm curious today, as we sit at this inflection point between potential escalation in this war or do these talks work, is there a diplomatic offramp? Do you think we should continue forward with this war? And realistically, what more -- what do you think has been achieved and what can be achieved? What do you think should be achieved?

GOTTHEIMER: Listen, I think the ultimate goal is obviously to do everything we can to crush the government of Iran and make sure we protect our country from a regime that has really said death to America for decades now. That's their leading banner, and gone after us, our allies, through their terror program, obviously developed a nuclear program, and threatened our security and killed our servicemen and women in the region, attacked our bases, right, as a real threat to our country.

Part of what obviously has been a challenge is understanding exactly what success looks like. We know that they've got a very strong ballistic missiles program, and they had one. Weakening that intensely is critical. How much, of course, is really the question like when is enough that we feel like, we feel that we've made enough progress? Same thing on diminishing their nuclear program and of course their terror program.

You still have the straits under closed and 20 percent of the nation's oil and gas runs through there. We can't leave right now. My opinion is that in the situation where you'd be continuing to see higher oil prices and gas prices around the world for Americans who are already struggling. So there's still a lot that's got to be taken care of. And then you've heard the president over time and some of his aides talk about obviously changing regime. And that's another very tall order that I think would carry this out much longer.

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So, I mean, the real questions are what's the objective here? When will we feel like we've done enough damage to set back the government here, this regime, significantly to make sure they're not a threat to our country or to our allies?

DEAN: And there have been -- we've heard from a lot of members in Congress that they're concerned that there aren't clear, like the administration laid out military objectives, which they've tried to achieve. But in terms of the strategic mission, that there are real questions around how to achieve a lot of the things you just talked about there.

How confident are you that they can do that?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, of course, I think what you're hearing from a lot of my colleagues is that we would like a lot more clarity, right? I'm on the Intelligence Committee, we'd like more understanding of exactly how they see this mission playing out. And also, as you know, the War Powers Act, which the days are ticking when they have to come to us officially for either declaration of war or authorization of force.

And so, you know, you've got a lot of things on the table on a tight clock, but also I want to make sure that our country is safe and secure and that, you know, that that to me is the ultimate objective here to protect our servicemen and women and our country. So, you know, I, yes, it'd be good to, I think part of what you're hearing is a frustration of not getting enough information on the objectives and the president obviously spoke days ago, laying out to the country, you know, I wish he had given that speech in the beginning of the conflict, laying out what he sees as some of some of the goals.

But I think that's something we'd like to learn a lot more about in Congress and hear directly from the administration. And we could -- so I can tell you right now, it'd be very important that they do that.

DEAN: I do want to also ask you about the White House's new budget request, which obviously is just that, a budget request, and oftentimes good to think about in terms of how they prioritize things. But needless to say, they are seeking $1.5 trillion, $1.5 trillion in an increase in defense spending.

GOTTHEIMER: Right.

DEAN: Do you think that's warranted?

GOTTHEIMER: They asked for a 42 percent increase, including things that, some things in there that obviously I agree with, like missile defense and more shipbuilding. But I'll tell you, the cuts that they've proposed, and again, as you point out, Jessica, this is just their initial budget. The cuts they've proposed, many of them are unacceptable to me, like cuts in food programs for families and seniors and children, and cuts to the VA hiring and to medical research, things that, you know, to me are nonstarters.

So, you know, we've got to do everything we can to protect our servicemen and women and make sure that we remain the strongest nation in the world. That's the ultimate goal to protect our country. But at the end of the day, I really also need to understand, you know, that they need to understand that the cuts that they've proposed to domestic programs, many of them are totally unacceptable I know to me and to many of us.

DEAN: Yes. And I hear you on wanting to make sure that the military and the men and women who serve have what they need, obviously, and are able to do their jobs. But do you think more specifically that they -- that the military needs -- are they in need of that much more money?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, those are the questions that we have hearings for. And I want to go through exactly their requests. And the same thing on the intelligence side, their requests to look at it all. Yes, they just proposed it. I, you know, I like to do my job and make sure I ask them a lot of questions about what they've asked for. And part of this, of course, is what resources have just been used in the conflict. What do we need more of right now? What do we need to re-up and

replenish? And so some of --those are some of the questions I have. And listen, these are the kind of things that, again, will really help when they come before us and engage with the Congress and ensure that we do our jobs, just like I would urge Speaker Johnson to do everything he can right now to get us back to the House immediately to vote on this bill, which to fully, you know, fund the Homeland Security based on the Senate bill. And to me, that's really, really important that we do that right away.

DEAN: All right. Congressman Josh Gottheimer, thanks for your time. We appreciate it.

GOTTHEIMER: Thanks so much.

DEAN: Still to come, we're witnessing history in the making as the Artemis II crew travels further into space than any humans have ever gone before. We're going to have a live update from mission control in Houston. That's next.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Depressurizing Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman suits just a little bit more to allow them to move out of their --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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DEAN: We are now just moments away from NASA giving an update on the Artemis II mission. The astronauts now scheduled to reach the far side of the moon in less than 24 hours.

CNN correspondent Ed Lavandera joining us now from the Johnson Space Center.

Ed, what are we expecting to hear this briefing?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we'll see what kind of updates they have. The astronauts on board, if you look at a live picture from inside the capsule, they have been working on kind of reconfiguring the seats and also working on getting back into these spacesuits and running various tests.

Remember, these are incredibly unique spacesuits. NASA actually calls them the OCSS suit, which stands for Orion Crew Survival System. But it's just a spacesuit. But these suits are designed to protect either in case of emergency, also during entry and reentry, to protect the astronauts in the -- from any kind of conditions or depressurization inside the capsule.

[18:30:07]

They can survive in these suits for up to six days. So using them, getting used to using them and using them in zero gravity conditions is crucial. So they've spent hours today working through that, getting into the suits and also reconfiguring the seats and getting back into the seats that they used to during the takeoff. And they will be using during the landing. So that has really taken up the bulk of the day.

But they've also sent back some stunning new images and one image in particular that NASA released today shows that little speck in the window that you see there, that is Earth, that is us, and that is astronauts looking back. They are more than 200,000 miles away. At their farthest, they'll be over 250,000 miles away. And all of this is culminating very quickly. Imagine being this crew where you see the moon getting bigger in front of you, the Earth getting much smaller behind you. And the astronauts are talking about the profoundness and the emotion of this moment.

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JEREMY HANSEN, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: There's been a lot of disbelief up here. Just the fact that what we're seeing, where we are, it's hard to wrap your mind around. I mean that sincerely. It really bends your mind and the emotions that come along with that, there's a lot of happiness just to experience these unique things, just brings you joy as a human. We're explorers at heart as human beings, and we really feel like we're exploring that here. And it brings a lot of excitement.

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LAVANDERA: You know, Jessica, it's really interesting to be able to watch the live feed. Not only do you get to see the astronauts kind of doing the work that they're doing, but you also get to see a lot of the mundane things, just the living part of it. You know, we saw astronauts brushing their teeth and that sort of thing. So it's interesting to watch the feed as that's coming in. But, you know, on this Easter Sunday, it's also important to point out they started off the day talking about how they hid some Easter eggs around the capsule. Not really Easter eggs. It was dehydrated scrambled eggs, but fun nonetheless.

DEAN: Close enough, right? When you're in space.

LAVANDERA: Right.

DEAN: Ed Lavandera, thanks so much. We appreciate it.

And joining us now, retired astronaut commander Chris Hadfield. He's the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station and the author of the space thriller novel "Final Orbit."

Good to see you. This is very exciting. We're getting closer and closer to this crew now using the moons gravity to essentially slingshot back to Earth. What are you watching for in the next 24 to 48 hours?

CHRIS HADFIELD, RETIRED ASTRONAUT: Jessica, good to talk to you. What I'm always watching for is how is the vehicle doing? This is the first time any humans have ever flown this spaceship. And so they're learning lots of little things, you know, everything from false alarms, about depressurization to the toilet having troubles, but when you're flying a brand new ship, I used to be a test pilot, and so did several of the crew, that's what you're mostly focused on. But what I'm most excited about is what's going to happen tomorrow when they come skimming past the moon.

And we see parts of the moon with the human eye that we've never seen lit up by the sun before. They're going to have a different perspective than any of the Apollo astronauts ever did. And I'm really looking forward to hearing about that live and then talking with them afterwards.

DEAN: Yes, it is kind of amazing to think about that they will lay eyes on something that humans really haven't seen and that there are still things to see in our universe that have been previously unseen. And that is -- that is an incredible thought.

What help people understand again just what are what are they hoping to achieve with this specific mission as it lays the groundwork for future missions as well?

HADFIELD: Jessica, every airliner you've ever got onto has had thousands of test flights before we ever try and put it into operation. We want to make sure that we understand exactly how that aerospace vehicle works. This is the first flight of this capsule with people on board. And so they're ringing everything out, even to what they're doing right now, which is putting on their pressure suits and just checking how everything work -- would work in some sort of emergency, or if they were docking with a lunar lander, all of the -- you just need to try everything a few times because it's always different in reality than it was in the simulator back on Earth.

And this mission, it's one huge long test flight to try out as many of the technologies as they can so that when we start landing on the moon here fairly shortly, we can count on this vehicle with our lives.

DEAN: And you mentioned these suits. They were trying them on. We've gotten video of that earlier today. These are different. These are -- these are next gen, we could call it.

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HADFIELD: They are next gen. I've worn various types of spacesuits throughout my space flights and we try and make them better all the time. The main reason you're wearing a suit like that, we call it a spacesuit, but really, what you want to have is if the spaceship springs a leak, you want to backup plan. And so you can throw this suit on. And that's what they did today, trying to get into it as quickly as they could, and then get it plugged into the ship's oxygen system so that you could survive a depressurization.

And this suit, it's different than the ones that I wore in that they could stay inside the suit for almost a week.

DEAN: Wow. HADFIELD: I mean, it would be pretty rank inside after a week, but

it'd be better than being dead. And so they need to test all that. They need to make sure that this suit does as we expect, that all of the plumbing works, communications work. And also if you're going to be in the suit for a week in an emergency situation, you're going to be plugged into some sort of long hose and umbilical. Can you do everything in weightlessness? Can you get everywhere? Can you reach everything?

Can you -- and it's the type of stuff you can sort of pretend on Earth that you think you understand it, but this is just a great opportunity to test all that stuff, not just the suit itself, but all of the procedures that might have to happen while you're wearing it. Even, think about it, you know, eating and drinking. There's a way to transfer stuff in and out of the suit while you're wearing it. And so they just need to test all those things. And that's what they're doing now.

DEAN: Yes, you make a great point, which is it can be one way here on Earth, and then you get up there and you got to test it out up there as well.

Retired astronaut, Chris Hadfield, it's great to have you. Thank you.

HADFIELD: And I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Thank you.

DEAN: All right. We'll see you later.

And coming up, Americans are paying a lot more to fill up their tanks with the national average now above $4 a gallon. We're going to talk with an expert about the war's impact on your wallet and when there could be some relief.

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[18:41:40]

DEAN: Oil prices are rising right now as President Trump makes new threats against Iran. Oil futures still well over $100 a barrel. Meanwhile, the average price of gasoline in the U.S. is now up to $4.11 a gallon.

Iran has paralyzed traffic through the Strait of Hormuz for weeks now, and President Trump has given the country until Tuesday to reopen the critical shipping route. But Iran says it will only do so after being paid war damages.

Let's bring in oil analyst and president of Lipow Oil Associates, Andy Lipow, joining us now.

Andy, good to see you. Thanks for being here. When this war started, you said Iran closing the strait was worst-case scenario. How would you evaluate things today?

ANDY LIPOW, PRESIDENT, LIPOW OIL ASSOCIATES: Well, thanks very much for having me. I would say it is the worst-case scenario. We've seen crude oil prices rise over 70 percent since the end of February. And as you know, gasoline prices are up significantly to $4.11 a gallon. And I expect that they're going to continue rising to about $4.20 a gallon. In addition, the closure of the strait has meant that nearly nine to 10 million barrels of crude oil production has been shut in. So it's staying underground, not even reaching refineries even in the Middle East or in Asia. And that's really further exacerbating the product supply disruption that we're seeing around the world.

DEAN: We saw eight OPEC countries saying today they'll increase production. There has been significant infrastructure damage, though, in several areas. So if they can't get the oil out of the Strait of Hormuz, you know, there is the question of the infrastructure versus the slight increase in production. Does that make a difference?

LIPOW: I don't think OPEC's decision today makes any difference because, as you point out, you simply can't get it out through the Strait of Hormuz. And this energy infrastructure damage that we're seeing really means that even if the conflict were to end tomorrow, it's going to be weeks and months to get the production back online. And given that about three million barrels a day of refining capacity has been damaged, that can take months to years to be repaired and come back online.

DEAN: And so, Andy, what does this mean for an American consumer who's watching us here in the United States right now, wondering about where this is going? What would you tell them?

LIPOW: Well, unfortunately, I don't have good news because gasoline prices continue to rise and even more distressing is that diesel prices are going up even faster than gasoline prices. I expect the national average to hit $5.75 a gallon. And that means that all the goods and services that the consumer buys, and that's delivered by truck and rail are going to be hit with fuel surcharges, and those costs are going to be passed on to you.

In addition, you can see on the airline side, jet fuel prices are also increasing. Airlines are cutting and consolidating flights. They're raising ticket prices. And they're raising baggage fees. So you can see that what's happening in the Middle East is going to impact the consumer here in the United States through higher prices. And I expect inflation is going to increase as well.

[18:45:08]

DEAN: And then in terms of, as you're laying that out, a timeline, we've heard again and again from experts that, look, even if this all got fixed tomorrow and everything went back to the way it was, it would still take months probably to get anything back to where it was. Is that still accurate and how -- what are we looking at in terms of a timeline?

LIPOW: Well, I think that is fairly accurate. If the conflict were to end relatively soon, we certainly would see oil prices come off $15 a barrel. That would provide relief to the consumer. But what I do think is we're not going to return to those days of $67 or $65 per barrel oil because the market is now going to price in a greater chance of geopolitical risk. And if Iran could shut the Strait of Hormuz once, then perhaps they could do it again.

DEAN: All right, Andy Lipow, great to have you. Thanks for walking us through all of that. We appreciate it.

LIPOW: Thanks for having me.

DEAN: Yes. UCLA women's basketball making history. And tomorrow the NCAA will crown a men's champion. Basketball highlights next.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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DEAN: The college basketball season just about over. A short while ago, the women playing their championship game in Phoenix, UCLA playing in its first ever national championship game, led from the start to the finish, dominating South Carolina 79 to 51.

CNN sports anchor Coy Wire is joining us now from Indianapolis, where the men play tomorrow night.

And Coy, UConn looking for its third title in four years against a Michigan team that has been really good. What do you see happening?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, yes, so that Indianapolis Colts NFL stadium behind me was packed with college basketball fans. The energy was off the charts watching Michigan and UConn punch their tickets to the final. Michigan steamrolling their way back to the title game for the first time since 2018, thrashing number one overall seed Arizona Wildcats 91 to 73. Coach Dusty May's Michigan looking for their first title since 1989.

I caught up with coach just a bit ago and asked what they are about to face, UConn Huskies. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DUSTY MAY, MICHIGAN HEAD COACH: This program that over the last four years has done something that we in coaching didn't think could be done. Three national championship games in a four-year window in the current landscape of college athletics is unprecedented, and it's a tribute to their daily -- their daily work, their daily grind, and the culture of their program.

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WIRE: Now UConn, winners of two of the last three titles, took down Illinois 71-62. Coach Dan Hurley, now 11-0 in the Sweet 16 and beyond in this tournament. You may remember he went viral for going forehead to forehead with a ref after their win over Duke. He was head-butting his players after the win last night. It's taken its own life.

I asked coach what he's telling his team about who they're going to face in the final. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN HURLEY, UCONN MEN'S HEAD COACH: I'm really, really glad we're not playing them in a seven-game series or a nine or an 11-game series. The beauty of this tournament is, we just got to kind of be better for one night on Monday night. And obviously we're going to have to have a great night to beat such a formidable team.

WIRE: You mentioned getting in people's faces, Coach. I am pumped. This was a freaking awesome interview. Do you know how pumped I was for this? Let's go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Coach brings out the husky dog mentality in everyone, Jessica. One game left after weeks of buzzer beaters and all of our brackets being busted. It will be Dan Hurley's UConn Huskies facing Dusty May's Michigan Wolverines in the final Monday night right here in Indianapolis.

DEAN: And, Coy, I hear Coach Hurley is quite superstitious. What can you tell us about that?

WIRE: Yes, some people are a little-stitious. Others like Coach Hurley are superstitious. He has these red dragon underwear, Jessica, that he wears for every game. And his wife, Andrea, brings along a portable washer and dryer to take care of them in between games in the hotel room and his suit.

DEAN: Commitment.

WIRE: Check this out tomorrow night. His suit is like starting to fall apart because he's been wearing it for years and years on game days. The seams are starting to come undone. But he's a man of his method, and clearly it's working.

DEAN: Some of us are stitious, some of us are superstitious.

Coy Wire, always good to have you. Thank you so much. We appreciate it.

WIRE: Thanks.

DEAN: And still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, President Trump preparing to brief the media about the successful military operation to rescue a U.S. airman stranded in Iran. We'll have a live update from the White House.

Also, a quick programing note for you, a new CNN Original Series dives into the booming longevity industry with influential journalist Kara Swisher becoming both reporter and test subject. She'll meet Silicon Valley power players and explorers, anti-aging biotech, A.I. All of these experts. The new CNN Original Series "KARA SWISHER WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER" premieres next Saturday, April 11th at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and the next day on the CNN app.

[18:55:00]

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

DEAN: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York.

We are following breaking news tonight as President Donald Trump announces U.S. forces successfully rescued an airman shot down behind enemy lines in Iran.