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Lebanon Reeling After Israel's Largest Coordinated Strikes; Iranians Gather For Funeral Of IRGC Intelligence Chief; Strait Of Hormuz Uncertainty Tests Shaky Truce; U.S. And Israel Says Lebanon Not Part of Ceasefire With Iran; NATO Chief Visits White House Amid Trump's Threats to Leave Alliance; U.S. Reveals Talks With Beijing to Secure Truce; Guilty Plea in Gilgo Beach Murders Case; Prosecutors to Subpoena Tiger Woods' Prescription Records; Ketamine Queen Sentenced to 15 Years in Matthew Perry Case; Hungarians to Vote in Parliamentary Election This Weekend; Artemis II Crew Prepares to Return to Earth. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired April 09, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:38]

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching around the world. I'm Brian Abel in Atlanta.

Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, a fragile cease fire being tested days before officials hold more talks this weekend. We are live in the region.

Plus, Pakistan is front and center in the negotiations. An expert joins me to explain what's motivating Islamabad to lead the way.

And mixed messages about the Strait of Hormuz. Is it open or not?

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Brian Abel.

ABEL: We begin this hour with what remains a fragile cease fire with Iran. The U.S. is dismissing claims from Tehran that it violated the truce, while Iran's foreign minister says the ball is in the U.S. courts urging the United States to choose between upholding the cease fire or pursuing what he described as continued war via Israel.

Those comments, as Iran says, fresh Israeli attacks on Lebanon are a cease fire violation, and that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has now come to a halt. US Vice President J.D. Vance warning the cease fire will end if Iran does not follow through on promises to reopen the critical waterway.

Despite all of this, he says negotiations are still progressing, and this weekend, Vance is set to lead a negotiating team for talks in Pakistan. That team includes special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner.

Iran's ambassador to Pakistan now says the Iranian delegation will arrive in Islamabad Thursday night for talks with the U.S.

In Beirut, a live look now where a national day of mourning is underway after Israel carried out what it calls the largest coordinated strike on Lebanon since the war began, more than a hundred sites hit in just 10 minutes, nearly 200 people were killed and almost 900 others wounded, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

Lebanon's prime minister says the victims were peaceful, unarmed civilians. The U.N. Human Rights chief calling the bombardment a horrific amount of carnage that defies belief, and it came despite the fragile cease fire with Iran. The U.S. and Israel insists the truce does not include Lebanon, but Iran says it does, and now word that the Iranian proxy militia, Hezbollah, is firing back at Israel for the first time since that cease fire deal was reached.

CNN's Nada Bashir has our report from Beirut.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Homes destroyed, the air filled with smoke, the site of yet another deadly attack.

BASHIR: This is the aftermath of an enormous Israeli military strike here in Beirut. This is one of the more than a hundred targets, according to the Israeli military they believe to be Hezbollah targets struck today.

But you can see behind me, these appear to be residential buildings. Upon this, this is a very busy area full of shops and a busy roadway. There would have been many people at this site and around the area at the time of the blast, and now emergency services are working to dig through the rubble for victims.

BASHIR (voice-over): The Lebanese health ministry says hundreds have been killed and wounded, adding to the more than 1,500 people the ministry said Tuesday have been killed in Lebanon over the course of this war.

Hopes that the cease fire between the U.S., Israel and Iran would extend to Lebanon were quickly dashed just hours after it came into effect.

RASHA, BEIRUT RESIDENCE (through translator): We were sitting, drinking like normal, and then we heard a very loud noise, three blasts at the same time, and then we saw the smoke, but we couldn't tell where it was coming from.

What kind of life is this? We don't know what will happen in the next hour. The last thing we could imagine is this kind of attack occurring in the center of Beirut.

BASHIR (voice-over): In the neighborhood of Talet el Khayat, first responders attempt to rescue survivors after a section of a residential building was completely leveled. Both the U.S. and Israel have claimed Lebanon was never part of the cease fire agreement, despite claims to the contrary from Pakistan's prime minister who helped broker the deal.

Now, fears of a further escalation, including a possible retaliation from Hezbollah ally Iran, has left many fearful over what now lies ahead for the people of Lebanon.

[02:05:08]

Nada Bashir, CNN in Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Nada, thank you. CNN's Paul Hancocks joins us now from Abu Dhabi and Paula, more than 24 hours now since the cease fire agreements, and it seems all sides still can't agree on the cease fire.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, even the proposals that are going around at this point, Brian, there appears to be a number of them, and it is a fairly confused situation that we're trying to get clarity on.

We've heard from the U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, he claims that when it comes to Iran's 10 point proposal that they are quoting from at this point, that there are three versions of that. And then, of course, you have the U.S. 15 point proposal.

So, really, the two sides have to sit down to hammer out exactly what they will be discussing. But of course, what we're seeing from these proposals is that they are very far apart in what they see out of any kind of peace deal. We're seeing from Iran, these maximalist demands, many of which would not be accepted by the United States.

The key part at the moment, though, which is really shaking this already very fragile truce between Iran and U.S. is Lebanon, as you've been hearing, the fact that Iran, and also it has to be said, Pakistan, which mediated this cease fire, believed that Lebanon was part of that deal.

But what we saw yesterday showed that that Israel does not believe that with 182 people being killed in just 10 minutes of what the Israeli military called its largest coordinated strike since this war began.

So, of course, the confusion as to whether or not Lebanon should be part of it is becoming a very key element of the disagreement before these talks even begin.

The White House press secretary tried to clarify yesterday. Let's listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Lebanon is not part of the cease fire that has been related to all parties involved in the cease fire. As you know, Prime Minister Netanyahu put out a statement last night in support of the cease fire, in support of the United States his efforts, and he's also assured the president they'll continue to be a helpful partner throughout the course of the next two weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, the U.S. president also spoke to PBS NewsHour. He confirmed that Lebanon was not included, but he did say that will get taken care of too, and he called it a quote, separate skirmish.

So, there is a day of mourning in Lebanon this Thursday for those that have lost their lives, key as well because of where the strikes took place. There were some in Beqaa Valley, southern Lebanon considered Hezbollah strongholds, but many of these strikes hit in central Beirut, where there were Sunni Muslim and Christian neighborhoods, which are not supporters of Hezbollah.

So, when it comes to this weekend, looking ahead to what we could see, we know that J.D. Vance and the U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son in law Jared Kushner will be heading to Islamabad. The White House says on Saturday, to start these discussions, the Iranian delegation is expected to arrive in Islamabad this evening to try and keep this cease fire in place.

We've heard from the U.S. president, though, that that the military element that he has in the Middle East will not be going anywhere at this point until they see what emerges from this deal, and if there isn't a deal, as he said, shooting starts bigger and better, Brian.

ABEL: All right. Paul Hancocks for us live in Abu Dhabi. Paula, thank you.

A massive crowd turned out in Tehran for the funeral of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence chief. He was killed on Monday. Iran Supreme Leader has said forces will not be deterred by the assassinations of top commanders. One woman attending the funeral had this view of the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The power in the region has been proven. We have been victorious in this field from the very first day, and in my opinion, we will be victorious no matter what. Whether there is a cease fire or war is again repeated, we will be victorious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Azadeh Pourzand is the director of Impact Iran, a coalition of 19 human rights organization, and she joins us now from London. Thank you for lending us your time, Azadeh.

Before we talk about President Trump's threat and the subsequent cease fire, if you can, I'd first like you to paint a picture for us of what life was like for Iranians before this conflict began compared to after.

AZADEH POURZAND, DIRECTOR, IMPACT IRAN: Yes, thank you for having me. Immediately before this conflict, Iranians experienced, sort of the climactic moment of the horrific years of repression under the Islamic Republic on January 8th and 9th of 2026 there was a, basically a massacre of those who had come out on the streets to protest against Islamic Republic. Hundreds and thousands were also detained, arrested, harassed, on top of the killings.

[02:10:31]

So, Iranians that I am sort of in touch with or follow entered this conflict, grieving, angry and already quite agonized because of what I think is essentially a domestic war that the Islamic Republic has for long declared against its own citizens.

And then when the conflict happened, basically the sky was no longer safe for the ordinary Iranians anymore the already quite fragile, economy became much worse for ordinary citizens and also the internet shutdown, which is a usual technique of the Iranian regime, again, became quite a difficult aspect of this conflict.

Meanwhile, there were Iranians who were hoping that despite all the destruction that this conflict will bring, that they will be able to sort of use this moment in order to determine their destiny in a democratic way that they were hoping to but that hope was also increasingly fragile as the conflict continued.

ABEL: Azadeh, you kind of started hinting on what my next question was going to be, given all of what you just described and what's happened since Monday. And I do understand that Iranians are not homogenous. But what are the various thoughts and feelings Iranians now have toward the U.S., toward the regime, toward the future?

POURZAND: Yes, as you said, Iran is a large nation of 90 million people, and it would be naive to think of it as a homogenous nation at the same time, you know, again, in my field of human rights, I have witnessed that descent in this, you know, in Iran in recent years, has dramatically increased in terms of the discontent with the Islamic Republic.

And what I have witnessed is that, for example, the statement of President Trump that a whole civilization will be destroyed brought -- you know, brought feelings of sort of patriarchy and nationalism and sort of many Iranians who are against the Islamic Republic took offense of a statement of this degree of sort of disregard for a whole civilization.

At the same time, this is not mutually exclusive. It doesn't mean that because they found this statement quite threatening and offensive, overnight, they decided to become subscribers or followers of Islamic republic that they consider it as a killer.

So, they, I think, especially this week, they felt, many felt like they were sort of, you know, experiencing despair between a regime that will continue killing them, arresting them, harassing them, and external forces that increasingly are showing disregard for their wellbeing and for the aspirations. And they feel very similarly, again, as a limited connectivity allows us to understand with the -- with the fragile cease fire, while relieved that they're hopefully no bombs being dropped on their head. But they feel that, as the ordinary Iranian people, they are not at all a part of a cease fire, that their human rights situation, that their wellbeing, economic in terms of political expectations, that they are not being included in these cease fires.

And so, you hear, you see, on social media, saying, This is a cease fire between the United States and the Islamic Republic and the Iranian people basically have disappeared from all of these kinds of conversations.

ABEL: Azadeh, we have probably less than 30 seconds left. But I do want to ask you at this moment, what's the best possible outcome for the people of Iran in your estimation?

POURZAND: At this point, from what I understand, the minimal expectation is that if this cease fire is going to continue, and these negotiations will reach any outcome. Know that the Iranian people want their conditions for their safety, their freedom, their ability to decide their destiny, the economic situation and also the internet shutdown. At least some of these should be included in this combat, in these negotiations, and that's what I see from some of them, more sort of balanced voices that are able to voice their opinions from inside the Iran in very sporadic and patchy ways, because of the internet shutdown and because of the fears that the Islamic Republic is surveilling them.

[02:15:46]

ABEL: Azadeh Pourzand, really appreciate your time and expertise and insight, thank you.

POURZAND: Thank you.

ABEL: Oil prices are fluctuating again amid the fragile cease fire between the U.S. in Iran, but Tehran is reportedly still holding oil shipments hostage in a key waterway near its shores, that's ahead.

Plus. President Trump and the NATO chief discussed the president's grievances with the Alliance and the war with Iran. Details on their meeting at the White House coming up.

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[02:20:43]

ABEL: The shipping companies are taking a wait and see approach as the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remains in limbo. Earlier reports showed traffic starting to resume after the announcement of the cease fire between the U.S. and Iran, but Iran's Revolutionary Guard later said the Strait is closed again, blaming Israel's latest strikes in Lebanon. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance says the cease fire will end if the waterway is not reopened.

Joining me now with the latest market developments from this is CNN's Eleni Giokos live from Dubai. And what's the impact of all this posturing, Eleni? ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the impact ultimately is that 20 percent of the world's oil supply is not going to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, even in this two-week period, unless Iran does continue to agree to allow some vessels through.

Now, it's really interesting to see the reaction in markets. And yesterday, we saw a huge drop in Brent crude as well as WTI, the U.S. benchmark. Right now they're in positive territory. In fact, Brent is up around 2.3 percent sitting at $97.00 a barrel, you've got WTI, which is up three percent also around $97.00 a barrel.

And it's really indicative of the reality that so much oil is out of the market right now. When I look at physical Brent crude prices that are sitting at around $145 a barrel, it really shows the discrepancy between the futures market and the available oil right now in the market.

And this is why you had a sea of red in Asia. Stock markets coming under pressure once again, after a stellar day yesterday, a lot of euphoria about what this two week cease fire could ultimately mean. As you can see, Nikkei down around seven tenths of a percent, and then we had the KOSPI dropping almost two percent in today's session.

Now, this cease fire really pertains to the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and there's a lot of to and fro in terms of whether it is open. And you know, what are the rules of engagement to actually allow ships to pass through.

I want you to listen to what the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had to say about that yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. SECRETARY OF WAR: What we know is that Iran is going to say a lot of things. A lot of people are going to say a lot of things, claim a lot of things. What has been agreed to, what's been stated is the Strait is open.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: All right, so the Strait is open. That is actually questionable. So, importantly, and you mentioned this, that off the extensive Israeli strikes into the heart of Beirut, where hundreds of people lost their lives, Iran, saying this is, in their mind, a breach of the cease fire that was put in place. Of course, the U.S. and Israel maintaining that Lebanon wasn't included in the cease fire.

But also, let's look at the facts in terms of how many vessels have passed through since the announcement of the cease fire, reporting of two tankers that have been able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

And if we look at the images, they're actually showing that they passed by Larak Island. Now that is an IRGC checkpoint for any vessels that make it through the Strait of Hormuz. I also want you to take, you know, a listen to what Richard Meade, the Lloyd's List editor in chief, told us, as well, saying Iran's approval regime for Hormuz transit remain intact, despite a tentative cease fire with non U.S. Israel affiliated vessels, forcing a slow, opaque verification process, and in many cases, multimillion dollar toll demands.

Now, Richard Meade also told me yesterday that a lot of the payments are made either in crypto or Chinese yuan, and a lot of these shippers are very reticent because they worried about legal action being taken after this entire scenario is over with, but Iran still has day five to control, and we're not seeing massive movement through the Strait of Hormuz, Brian, at this point.

ABEL: It sounds like a far cry from the Strait being open. Eleni Giokos for us in Dubai. Eleni, thank you.

Pakistan has taken the lead in the negotiations for the cease fire in the U.S. war with Iran. Just ahead, we'll examine the role that has put it back in the spotlight.

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[02:29:23]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEGSETH: Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield, a capital V military victory.

LEAVITT: President Trump stated this would be a four to six week military operation to dismantle the military threat posed by the radical Islamic Iranian regime. Thanks to the unbelievable capabilities of America's war fighters, the United States has achieved and exceeded those core military objectives in just 38 days.

HEGSETH: Together with our Israeli partners, America's military achieved every single objective, on plan, on schedule, exactly as laid out from day one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:30:00]

ABEL: Key members of the Trump administration, you hear him there, touting the U.S. and Israeli bombardment of Iran. The White House says the ceasefire is still a go, but Iran is threatening new attacks if Israel keeps up its assault on Lebanon.

CNN's Kristen Holmes reports from the White House.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: There is still a lot of confusion as to what exactly was agreed to by both sides. It does seem as though there was nothing actually put in writing and what these ten points were. Now a lot of this is really coming down right now to Lebanon, whether or not it was included in the ceasefire.

We now have heard from Pakistan, who of course has been the negotiators between Iran and the U.S., saying that Lebanon should have been or was included in the ceasefire. We've also heard that from Iran. But on the other side, the United States and Israel say that it was never included in the ceasefire. Here's what Vice President J.D. Vance said as he was leaving Hungary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn't. The Israelis, as I understand it, again, I'm supposed to get a fuller report when I get on the plane, have actually offered to be, frankly, to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, whether or not it was a misunderstanding or the sides just didn't fundamentally understand what they were agreeing to, we also heard J.D. Vance saying that it seemed as though Israel might check themselves -- those were the words he used -- a little bit when it came to Lebanon. J.D. Vance making it clear that this wasn't because it was part of the original ceasefire, but instead because Israel wanted to make sure that these negotiations were going well and obviously, this is something that matters to Iran.

But we are still trying to get the nuts and bolts of what exactly was in this two-week agreement, these ten points. We heard Karoline Leavitt saying there were two various proposals that were put out there. One that got thrown in the trash, another one that they thought was a good starting point. But yet, we still don't know what was actually in either of these proposals.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

ABEL: Meanwhile, President Trump met with NATO Chief, Mark Rutte, at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the war with Iran. The White House says NATO allies were "Tested and failed" when they did not join the conflict in the way President Trump wanted. The NATO chief says he understands Trump's disappointment, but that many European nations helped in other ways.

President Trump, however, continued to lash out following the meeting. He posted this, writing in all caps, "NATO wasn't there when we needed them and they won't be there if we need them again. Remember Greenland? That big, poorly run piece of ice." The NATO chief's visit comes as President Trump has repeatedly threatened to pull U.S. support for the alliance. Mark Rutte spoke about the situation with CNN's Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: This was a very frank, very open discussion, but also discussion between two good friends.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Did the president say he was going to try to withdraw from NATO or at the very least, not support NATO as much as other presidents have? RUTTE: Well, as I said, there is a disappointment, clearly, but at the same time, he was also listening careful to my arguments of what is happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: President Trump is sending Vice President J.D. Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, to Pakistan this weekend for talks on the Iran War ceasefire. Pakistan's prime minister is urging restraint after reports of ceasefire violations. This country has taken the lead in the negotiations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIZWAN SAEED SHEIKH, PAKISTANI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: It was an intense diplomatic effort that was in progress over the past few weeks. And what happened last night was a culmination point. So it is a triumph of diplomacy and dialog that Pakistan in its diplomatic history has always accorded primacy to and has had a preference for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: And joining me now is Aqil Shah, Political Scientist at McDaniel College and Visiting Professor at Georgetown University. Aqil, thank you for the time.

Help us understand, if you can, how did Pakistan get to this mediator role? Because we've seen others, Qatar, for example, be a broker. But this is kind of new territory for Pakistan, who was, for all intents and purposes, a sideline country during the Biden years. Is it as simple as Pakistan stroking President Trump's ego? Because we do know during the Pakistan-India conflict last year, Pakistan's army chief nominated Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize, called him a global peacemaker, invited him to help resolve the conflict. So is that it? Is it flattery?

AQIL SHAH, POLITICAL SCIENTIST, MCDANIEL COLLEGE: I mean, flattery as diplomacy is a real thing. And I think the Pakistani military chief and the government realized very quickly that it's really important to have a personal connection and access to Donald Trump.

The other factor is that the usual intermediaries like Qatar are either not available or unwilling or embroiled in the conflict.

[02:35:00]

And so Pakistan, you know, is right next to Iran. It has been able to sort of nudge China with a very strong alliance to, you know, push Iran to the negotiating table because China has more leverage over Iran.

And of course, this newfound geopolitical influence in Washington, so both these factors have sort of come together to put Pakistan in a position to, you know, claim the role of the diplomatic mediator between these two adversaries.

ABEL: OK, so that's how they got into the chair. What's in it for Pakistan? What's their incentives here?

SHAH: So the primary immediate incentive is that Pakistan is exposed to the crisis in terms of Pakistan's, you know, the Gulf is Pakistan's financial lifeline. Most of the oil and gas to Pakistan comes from the Gulf. Pakistan's foreign remittance is also, you know, Pakistan has a labor -- most of its labor is in the Gulf region.

So the economic incentive was pretty strong because, you know, fueling -- hiking fuel prices were putting real pressure on Pakistan. In addition to that, I think Pakistan has traditionally tried to basically punch above its weight to overcome what it sees as its weakness, both economically and militarily with its arch rival, India. And so this is not entirely new. Pakistan has done this before.

ABEL: OK, so let's stay along those lines. How has the relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan evolved over the last decade or so, even a little bit longer? Because as some may recall, it was a strained relationship during the Afghanistan war with the U.S. accusing Pakistan of not doing enough to root out the Taliban.

And there was Osama bin Laden found living in Pakistan when he was killed. So, how have these chapters progressed to now?

SHAH: So, yeah, Brian, you're right. Pakistan was both an ally and some in Washington called Pakistan a frenemy because of its ties to the Taliban. Pakistan was at the time providing sanctuary to the Afghan Taliban who are now in power in Kabul because, at the time, Pakistan had a close relation -- close ties to the Taliban.

During the withdrawal, I mean, so Pakistan did help broker the talks between the U.S. and the Taliban. But once the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan was really a sort of pariah state. The Biden administration didn't really engage it. There was no concrete strategic interest. When Trump comes back to office the second time, the first indication that Pakistan is sort of playing an important role is that Pakistan quietly hands over a senior ISIS leader or a terrorist who actually was reportedly involved in the Abbey Gate attack in Kabul when American Marines and Afghan civilians were killed.

So that was the first indication. And then, as you mentioned, in the 2025 crisis, May 2025 crisis between India and Pakistan, Pakistan really acknowledged and praised Trump for stopping the conflict. And as Donald Trump has said several times, the Pakistanis told me the most beautiful thing, which is that I saved the lives of millions of people.

Trump has felt slighted by India because India completely refused to acknowledge any mediation or any role for Trump for domestic political reasons. And the nomination of Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize really endeared Pakistan to Donald Trump, especially the army chief of staff. The army in Pakistan is really the permanent political power.

And as the head of that army, General Asim Munir is really the sort of de facto ruler of Pakistan. ABEL: OK. Aqil Shah, thank you very much. Really appreciate your expertise helping us understand Pakistan's role in this conflict. Thank you.

SHAH: Thank you for inviting me. Thank you.

ABEL: And the White House is crediting China for its role in the ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran. Officials say Washington and Beijing held high-level talks in the run-up to the truce. As Will Ripley reports, China has a number of reasons to see the war come to an end.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[Foreign Language]

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No one knows decapitation better than I do, says the eagle in the golden robe. This A.I.-generated viral video produced by Chinese State Media.

[02:40:00]

It portrays the United States as an aggressor killing Iran's supreme leader, burning through expensive weapons while Iran responds with cheap drones, eventually running out of missiles, triggering a global oil crisis, satire that hits uncomfortably close to reality.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: South Korea didn't help us. You know who else didn't help us? Japan.

RIPLEY (voice-over): But President Trump is giving China more credit, telling AFP, Beijing helped broker the ceasefire, just weeks before he's set to travel there again for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. China's foreign ministry says Foreign Minister Wang Yi made 26 calls to counterparts, while a special envoy traveled to the region to mediate.

China has actively worked to promote peace and push for an end to hostilities, she says. Why? Because a wider war threatens something Beijing depends on, oil. The ceasefire hinges on re-opening the Strait of Hormuz, a fifth of the world's supply passes through it, most of it headed to Asia.

China is by far the largest buyer of Iranian crude, around 80 to 90 percent, more than a million barrels a day. They've spent years propping up Tehran. Beijing cannot afford a prolonged conflict that shakes global markets.

China also helped broker a breakthrough between Iran and Saudi Arabia in 2023, and now appears to be working both sides again, publicly calling for calm, positioning itself as a responsible global power. But online in China, a flood of comments like these.

Trump is the most incoherent and untrustworthy tribal leader in the history of mankind. The U.S. has an artillery shortage, a two-week timeout to replenish weapon stockpiles. After these two weeks, fights and bombardments will probably just resume.

In China, political content like this never goes viral unless government censors allow it. China is walking a very careful line here, striking a diplomatic tone in public, possibly working behind the scenes and at the same time, embracing the power of this A.I.- generated content, seizing the moment to shape the global narrative, casting President Trump and the United States as reckless and itself as the peace-loving, responsible power, even as it continues almost daily PLA military activity near Taiwan.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: The accused Gilgo Beach serial killer pleads guilty, Rex Heuermann admitted in court that helped the victim's families finally get some answers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:47:31]

ABEL: A new court filing shows Florida prosecutors plan to subpoena prescription drug records for Tiger Woods following his car crash and arrest last month. Prosecutors are seeking information about the medications in his name, including the type, dosage, usage instructions, and warnings. An attorney for Woods declined to comment on the filing.

The golf legend is charged with driving under the influence, of property damage, and refusal to submit to a lawful test, both misdemeanors. Woods has pleaded not guilty, according to court documents.

And a judge in L.A. has sentenced Jasveen Sangha, known as the 'Ketamine Queen,' to 15 years in federal prison. Sangha pleaded guilty to selling the drugs that led to the 2023 death of French star, Matthew Perry. Prosecutors say she ran a high-volume drug trafficking business out of her North Hollywood home.

Four others were also charged in connection with the case, and prosecutors described the indictment as accountability for drug dealers.

A confession sheds light on a mystery that has haunted a New York community for more than three decades. The man accused of being the Gilgo Beach serial killer has admitted to strangling eight women and discarding their remains. Sherrell Hubbard has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHERRELL HUBBARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The families of eight women killed and discarded along a stretch of Long Island's Gilgo Beach are one step closer to closure.

MISSY, SISTER OF MAUREEN BRAINARD-BARNES: The promise I made to you so long ago was simple. Sorry. I would never stop searching for justice for you.

HUBBARD (voice-over): 62-year-old former architect Rex Heuermann confessed to the murders in court on Wednesday, including an eighth woman, a crime he had not previously been charged with.

JUDGE TIMOTHY MAZZEI, SUFFOLK COUNTY SUPREME COURT: Are you pleading guilty voluntarily and of your own free will?

REX HEUERMANN, SERIAL KILLER: Yes.

HUBBARD (voice-over): Heuermann confirmed he strangled his victims, dismembered some, and bound others by their head and legs.

RAY TIERNEY, SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK DISTRICT ATTORNEY: He identified these women, lured them into Nassau County, murdered them, and left their bodies in Suffolk County. He thought that by killing them, he could silence them forever.

HUBBARD (voice-over): Heuermann's confession a reversal from an earlier not-guilty plea.

MICHAEL BROWN, REX HEUERMANN'S ATTORNEY: When Rex decided that he wanted to accept responsibility and didn't want to proceed to trial, from a defense standpoint, we then pivoted.

HUBBARD (voice-over): The Gilgo Beach killings began in 1993 and went unsolved until 2022, when investigators took another look at the killings.

[02:50:00]

According to court records, they soon built a case against Heuermann using DNA, hair, cell phone records, and witness testimony.

KEVIN CATALINA, SUFFOLK COUNTY POLICE COMMISSIONER: Today, he was exposed for exactly what he is, a sadistic, soulless, murderous monster.

HUBBARD (voice-over): I'm Sherrell Hubbard reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Still ahead, the astronauts on the Artemis II mission set for splashdown on Friday. They spoke earlier about their experience so far and their historic flyby of the moon. We will hear from them next.

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ABEL: Voters in Hungary will head to the polls on Sunday for a parliamentary election that could determine the country's next leader. Right-wing Prime Minister, Viktor Orban is hoping to extend his 16- year grip on power with the help of J.D. Vance and the Trump administration. But as CNN's Melissa Bell reports, he's currently lagging in the polls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) J.D. VANCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Mr. President, you are on with about 5,000 Hungarian patriots and I think they love you even more than they love Viktor Orban.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I love Hungary and I love that Viktor, I'm telling you, he's a fantastic man.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But on Sunday, MAGA's European darling will face his toughest election in 16 years.

BELL: That speech and J.D. Vance's presence in Budapest at all just days ahead of this critical poll is nothing short of foreign interference, according to the man standing against Viktor Orban. For Peter Magyar, this is an election that can be decided neither in Washington, nor in Moscow, nor in Brussels, but only in the streets of Hungary itself.

BELL (voice-over): In fact, Magyar has largely stayed clear of foreign policy altogether on the campaign trail with his Tisza Party focusing on the bread-and-butter issues that they think matter to most Hungarians.

BELL: What are people worried about? What are the things that matter to voters?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The economy that is stagnating. One can say corruption is extensive. We see that on the news.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Those behind the current government are worried about the war in Ukraine, while Tisza supporters are worried about the economy.

BELL: It is those kitchen table issues and the economic dissatisfaction felt by many Hungarians that it is suggested has allowed Peter Magyar to get to where he is in the polls. And that in itself, they say, is remarkable given the grip that Viktor Orban's party has on the state's institutions.

CARSTEN J. SCHNEIDER, INTERIM PRESIDENT, CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY: I think the regime he has built since 2010 is trying to achieve this, to make the elections free but not fair, to stack the odds against oppositions, to provide advantages to his own party, the Fidesz Party, and also to shield several institutions that are very important for collective decision-making in the economy, in society, from the outcome of elections.

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BELL: But in the public baths of Budapest, the war in neighboring Ukraine or the American vice president's visit so central to Orban's electoral pitch seem distant concerns, even if Orban still has many diehard supporters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Orban is also a very good friend of Trump, very satisfied with him. And of course, it's a great help if a big lion helps this little ant. But they have realized that they are good friends.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the last 16 years, we live under a regime which is not the future, but in the past, because of the Russian connections, because of the Chinese connections. So we don't have a real future if this regime goes on.

BELL: By moving his pawns and his people into position, Viktor Orban has, over the course of the last 16 years, fundamentally changed the lay of the land, turning this democracy here in Hungary into an illiberal one. The question now, whether on Sunday, the world finds out what happens after that ends.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Budapest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Astronauts with NASA's Artemis II mission are preparing to return to Earth on Friday. In just a few hours, the crew and flight control teams will begin preparing the cabin and studying entry procedures ahead of the planned splashdown off the coast of San Diego, California.

Listen to pilot, Viktor Glover talk about his anticipation of that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VIKTOR GLOVER, PILOT, ARTEMIS II: I've actually been thinking about entry since April 3rd, 2023, when we got assigned to this mission. In one of the first press conferences we were asked, what are we looking forward to? And I said, splashdown. And it's kind of humorous, but it's literal as well, that we have to get back.

There's so much data that you've seen already, but all the good stuff is coming back with us. There's so many more pictures, so many more stories. And gosh, I haven't even begun to process what we've been through. We've still got two more days, and riding a fireball through the atmosphere is profound as well.

(LAUGH)

GLOVER: So I have to answer that question later. I'm not sure, but I can tell you it's a lot, and lifelong memories. I'm going to be thinking about and talking about all of these things for the rest of my life, for sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Now, the astronauts started their day on Wednesday more than 200,000 miles from Earth and more than 83,000 miles from the moon. Their mission is paving the way for long-term lunar science and exploration capabilities and inspiring the next generation of explorers. And Godspeed to them on Friday.

Thank you for joining us. I'm Brian Abel in Atlanta. We are back with more news in just a few moments.

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