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Trump Steps Up Pressure On Iran As Peace Talks End With No Deal; Rep. Swal Under Pressure to Step Aside; Interview With Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). Aired 3-4p ET

Aired April 12, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:28]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I am Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin with President Trump increasing pressure on Iran increasing pressure on Iran today after peacetalks between top Iranian and American negotiators ended without a deal.

In a new interview today, Trump says he is now ordering the U.S. Navy to block ships from entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, potentially plunging a ceasefire already in limbo into even more uncertainty.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK HOST, MORNINGS WITH MARIA": Mr. President, can you explain to us what is going on right now with the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, were going to be blockading, it will take a little while, but it will be effective pretty soon. And we had meetings yesterday, as you said, lasted 21 hours. That was a long meeting. We had some very, very good representatives.

As you know, J.D. and Steve and Jared. So, we were well-represented, but we didnt get there on the important issue. They want to have nuclear weapons, they're not going to have nuclear weapons.

BARTIROMO: So, Mr. President, was that the red line there? Can you explain to us what went on in these talks? What did the United States ask of Iran and how did they react?

TRUMP: Well, they reacted, you know, it was very interesting. It started off weak. They were -- they came in like they had the cards, but they dont have the cards. Their Army, their whole military is obliterated. The whole place is obliterated.

And, you know, as you know, levels of leaders are gone. They're literally gone. Khamenei is gone. The whole thing is gone. The whole place is gone. They have one thing that they can do. They can say, well, gee, we are going to put a mine someplace in the -- just a mine. We will drop one mine, two mines, 10 mines, and that will -- if you have a ship that costs a billion dollars, you say, well, you know, I'd prefer not getting whacked by a mine losing my ship or damaging it badly, at least.

And so thats a little bit of a thing that they can do and its military might and military power don't do it, but you know, it is extortion and they are extorting the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, CNN's chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Clarissa, Trump says the U.S. is bringing potentially minesweepers to the Strait of Hormuz. How is this being received in the region?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I would say this is being well received, Fredricka here in the Gulf. The countries here, Saudi Arabia, where I am, have made it very clear that there was a concern that any agreement, had there been one, which allowed for the Strait of Hormuz to remain in de facto control of Iran, or even partial control of Iran, really would be a red line for them.

They also, while they have welcomed the ceasefire here in Saudi Arabia, did not have particularly high hopes for these talks simply because it was their understanding that there were too many complex issues to be able to resolve in one go.

So broadly speaking, this has been warmly received here in the Gulf. The question now is when does this counter blockade begin? What does it look like? Which other countries may potentially be involved with it?

We heard President Trump in that conversation with Fox News, allude to the fact that other countries may potentially be getting involved. And I would say as well, Fredricka, that theres also a realization here in the Gulf that -- and particularly here in Saudi, that this could result in sort of retaliation from Iran, particularly the East-West Pipeline that runs across Saudi Arabia, which was hit just a few days ago even after the ceasefire was announced, which is the one artery here in Saudi Arabia that allows it to export its crude oil and circumvent the Strait of Hormuz.

We still havent heard much of an official reaction from Iran to this announcement from President Trump about this blockade. There was a statement put out by the naval force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, where they said that the Strait remains open to vessels at the moment, but that any military vessels trying to cross the Strait will be viewed as an infraction or violation of the ceasefire agreement and will be dealt with in the most severe way.

So all of that now, raising the question as to where this takes this conflict, where this leaves this ceasefire, and whether the possibility now of further talks. There are still 10 days, Fredricka left technically on this ceasefire, whether it is still possible that there could be another round of talks before then -- Fredricka.

[15:05:10]

WHITFIELD: I mean, is it being expressed there is a lot of hope or even optimism that perhaps more talks could indeed take place?

WARD: Well, I think it really depends who you talk to. Every country has its own national interest here, and certainly there are many that very much would like to see this conflict resolved quickly and resolved peacefully.

But there is also a broader understanding that the glaring chasm between the objectives of both sides and the seemingly maximalist positions and red lines that have been articulated, particularly now, most recently by the U.S. side, make it very hard to envision how you're going to find some kind of modus vivendi between both the U.S. and Iran.

But certainly, of course, for many countries in the region, particularly and in Asia as well, where the fallout on energy markets and gas shortages has been absolutely devastating, they would like to see this resolved quickly and peacefully.

WHITFIELD: All right, Clarissa Ward in Saudi Arabia, thanks so much.

All right, let's go now to CNN correspondent, Julia Benbrook. She is in Florida traveling with the President.

Julia, you know, Trump has threatened to resume some military action if the deal doesnt go the way he wants it to go. So what now?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, those threats continue. This just hours after his negotiating team ended those talks. 21-plus hours of talks that took place in Islamabad without an agreement to end this conflict in Iran.

Now, Trump is saying that overall, he still thinks that these talks, "went well." And he believes that the Iranians are going to want to come back to the table and give him everything that he wants.

That is, of course, yet to be seen, but he is putting some optimism forward on these next steps. He says that he got a lot of what he wanted here, but there was only one point that really mattered dismantling Iran's nuclear program and that the United States could not get the commitments that it was looking for.

I want to pull up one of his posts today. This was part of a very lengthy post in reaction to this, he said, "I could go into great detail and talk about much that has been gotten, but there is only one thing that matters, Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions. In many ways, the points that were agreed to are better than us continuing our military operations to conclusion. But all of those points don't matter compared to allowing nuclear power to be in the hands of such volatile, difficult, unpredictable people."

As Vice President J.D. Vance left those talks, he did say that this was the best and final offer from the United States, but appeared to leave open the door for Iran to agree to those U.S. lines -- the red lines that they had laid out.

Now, in the meantime, Trump is saying he believes they are going to come back to the table, but he is also continuing to ramp up his threats against Iran, repeating his threats that he could target their energy infrastructure, saying that he could take out Iran in one day.

Take a listen to some of those remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We've wiped out the whole country, essentially. The only thing left really, is their water, which would be very devastating to hit, I would hate to do it, but it is their water, their desalination plants, their electric generating plants, which are very easy to hit.

We could hit them -- we could have them all down. And I mean down like you couldn't have electricity for 10 years because it takes you 10 years to build those plants from scratch. You'd never probably be able to build them again -- and the bridges.

So that is really the only thing. We still have some more missile manufacturing plants. We know every one of them, we will do that. We still have other things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Now, only about 10 days remain in this tenuous ceasefire agreement that Trump announced on Tuesday.

Additionally, in that interview with Fox News, he also commented on his plans for the U.S. Navy to prevent ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Now, that does risk making oil and gas prices spike even more as he looks to put maximum pressure on Iran.

WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Benbrook in Florida, thanks so much.

All right, still to come, under pressure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. EUGENE VINDMAN (D-VA): We should not tolerate this behaviorand Representative Swalwell needs to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Growing calls for Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell to drop out of the California governor's race after several women made sexual misconduct allegations against him, which Swalwell's own staff is saying today.

And President Trump's new threat to block ships in the Strait of Hormuz could send gas prices soaring. What he just said about how it could potentially hit your wallet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:14:52]

WHITFIELD: All right, new today, amid the fallout from multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against Congressman Eric Swalwell, senior staffers have issued an unsigned joint statement saying, in part: "... as leaders of teams working for Eric Swalwell, we are horrified by the recent reporting. We stand with our former colleague and the other women who have come forward."

The statement goes on to say. "... any decision of staff members to remain in their roles in the interim should not be viewed as support for Eric Swalwell. We recognize that not everyone, in particular our junior staff, can immediately forfeit their income and benefits without significant personal risk or consequence. Our responsibility now is to them."

[15:15:37]

Congressman Swalwell is denying the sexual misconduct allegations, calling them false. His attorney, in a statement to CNN, denied that Swalwell had ever had non-consensual sex with any woman or ever had sexual relations with any member of his staff.

CNN political commentator, Maria Cardona is joining me right now.

Maria, great to see you.

I mean, just ahead of the weekend after CNN's reporting, Swalwell said that he was going to talk to his family this weekend about things. So, what conclusion do you think he may make about whether to stay in the gubernatorial race or even in office as a Representative?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I hope, Fred, that he does really think about this long and hard and about what this will mean to his family. I dont think that he will survive this. I dont think that he will survive this as a candidate for the California gubernatorial race. I dont think he will survive this as a member of Congress.

And look, everything that has been reported has been horrific. There have been multiple accusations, a lot of detail, a lot of corroboration, a lot of reporting that coincides with what the allegations have said in terms of the of the women coming forward.

And so while I am not saying that he is flat out guilty, we still have to have the presumption of innocence in this country until some kind of investigation or a trial goes through. But I will say that a member of Congress, somebody who has been entrusted with the public trust, with the trust of their constituents, has got to live by a higher standard.

And so I think that he needs to get out of the race, the California race, and I think he needs to really think really about withdrawing from Congress because while he has every right to fight these allegations, and if he truly believes in his heart and in his soul that he is innocent, then by all means, go fight that with everything you have.

But the voters of his district and the voters in California deserve somebody who is going to be focused 1,000 percent on their needs and on what they need, the solutions that they are looking for from the leaders that they elect. And if he is going to go through this, that is not going to be Eric Swalwell trying to fight these accusations.

WHITFIELD: And what do you think about that statement coming from his staff? I mean, pretty striking, not necessarily saying we believe, you know, Swalwell, but instead, you know, saying they believe one of their former co-workers, or at least it is important to continue to support her and that it is difficult for any of them to just want to, you know, resign from working on his staff because of, you know, their own potential hardships that would come from that.

I mean, this is unusual to hear a statement like this coming from staff members, is it not?

CARDONA: Absolutely. And I think it sort of adds to the damning nature of these horrific allegations. I don't think I have seen anybody that has come out other than his lawyer that has come out to defend him, to say that they don't believe these accusations, that this is not who he is.

And again, we should give him the presumption of innocence. But I truly believe that the nature of a higher political office, you have got to be held by a higher standard. And so when you have multiple allegations, not one woman, not two, not three, I think there are four or more and more may come out, that is something to pay attention to.

And the young woman who was on CNN's airwaves shadowed for obvious reasons, was incredibly compelling. And you don't go forward with something like that, Fredricka, you know, so many women know this, if that didnt happen to you, because you're not going to do this for fun, you're not going to do this to invite the hatred and vitriol that so many women endure when they come out with these kinds of allegations.

[15:20:10]

And so, this is why this has been so incredibly damning. That's why you see so many of his former supporters and people that have come out to endorse him quickly retract those endorsements, because I think they were also really moved by the the women and the accusations and what has been reported.

And when you put on top of that, that statement from his own staffers, the people who know him the best and the people who have worked with him the longest, again, I dont think that there is a way that he really survives this, and if he is going to put his family first, my suggestion to him and my advice to him is to withdraw from the California gubernatorial race and to think really long and hard about withdrawing as a member of Congress before he gets embarrassed and gets in expulsion or an investigation that is going to find him guilty.

WHITFIELD: All right, we will leave it there for now. Maria Cardona, glad to see you. Thanks so much.

CARDONA: Thank you so much, Fred, Appreciate it.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, President Trump is renewing threats that he could take out Iran in one day after peace talks failed to reach a deal.

Democratic lawmaker Debbie Wasserman Schultz joins me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:45]

WHITFIELD: All right, back with our breaking news.

President Trump announcing today a U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after the peacetalks with Iran abruptly ended without a deal. We should say it ended without a deal, not necessarily abruptly. They met for 21 hours.

He also defended his statement from earlier this week, where Trump warned a whole civilization will die in Iran if they don't up the critical waterway.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: When I say about a civilization, it really has changed. It really has. But think of it, they are allowed to say "Death to America, death to this, death --" and I make one statement, they say, oh, it is such a big deal.

Let me tell you, that statement got them to the bargaining table and they havent left. They haven't left the bargaining table.

I predict they come back and they give us everything we want. And I told my people, I want everything. I don't want 90 percent. I don't want 95 percent.

I told them, I want everything.

BARTIROMO: Well, and what they want --

TRUMP: They have no cards. Maria, Maria --

BARTIROMO: Yep.

TRUMP: They have no cards.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I am joined now by Florida Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. She is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

Congresswoman, great to see you.

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): You, too, Fredricka. Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right, so we've heard the President say that, you know, before I use that jargon before in this case, it is Iran has no cards. It was touted as a one day face-to-face meeting involving the Vice President and the Iranian delegation in Pakistan. They did meet for 21 hours.

Do you see this as a hopeful meeting, or do you see it, as, you know, failed negotiations or, you know, do you believe that the groundwork has been set, that perhaps there could be more talks?

SCHULTZ: Well, I mean, there is no complicated negotiation like this that could be resolved in one day, which was what the President suggested. But I mean, his make it up as you go along approach for the last 44 days of this war against Iran has been what has caused us to have skyrocketing gas prices and you know, tremendous difficulty and economic pain for the United States and for our allies.

In proposing a blockade kind of goes -- cuts both ways. It will obviously hurt China and Russia, but at the same time, it is likely to cause gas prices to rise even higher and this is what happens when you, instead of putting forward our Middle East experts to negotiate and you sideline them in favor of two real estate developers, then no wonder it has not been a successful first go at it.

And on top of that, he didn't even leave behind negotiators. They cleared out and decided on a blockade for the Strait of Hormuz, which, by the way, at the start of this was open and this shouldnt even need to be a negotiating point because it was closed as a result of the miscalculation that this President had and his advisors had, and not even realizing that Iran would take that action.

WHITFIELD: So the President, when he says that he is imposing a blockade, hes also saying that he is using this as leverage and that this blockade or even the use of naval ships for minesweeping will bring Iran back to the table. That is how he is explaining things.

Do you agree with that strategy?

SCHULTZ: I mean, leverage? The Strait of Hormuz was open before he engaged in this war. And I am someone that thinks that Iran's capability of being the most dangerous actor in the world needs to be degraded and they need to be stopped from being able to achieve nuclear capability.

By the way, Iran still holds on to their enriched uranium. They are still a threat. The regime is still in place. So, he keeps pointing to, you know, the country being devastated and we've already won. I don't know. We have very different definitions of winning when I have constituents who have gas prices that have gone so high that I have small businesses who are having to close because they can't afford to move around our community anymore to deliver goods to their customers.

[15:30:14]

And so we have to make sure if we are going to negotiate, we use our experts who know what they are doing, that we engage our allies, which we should have done in the first place, that you consult with Congress, who has the authority in the Constitution to conduct war and that you not give Iran, our enemy, who we are at war with, $14 billion, which Trump did, that empowers them further to be able to to engage in dangerous, deadly attacks.

WHITFIELD: All right, I want to shift gears and also ask you about your colleague, Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by several women. And thus far, there have been many Democratic Representatives of Congress who have called for him to leave the race, from Hakeem Jeffries to Nancy Pelosi.

And now at least one member of Congress, Vindman, has also asked that he step down, resign from his position as a member of Congress. Where do you stand on this?

SCHULTZ: Well, these are devastating, serious allegations. And now there are multiple women who have come forward to to make them. And so, I mean, at the very least, for starters, he needs to withdraw from the gubernatorial race. I mean, theres just no question about that. There is just too much coming at him and the allegations are just extremely serious. And I dont see how he could possibly focus on conducting a gubernatorial race and he certainly shouldnt be, because these are women who need to be taken seriously.

The allegations need to be reviewed thoroughly, and he can no longer be a viable and credible gubernatorial candidate in my opinion.

WHITFIELD: Can he continue to be a viable Representative in Congress?

SCHULTZ: Well, I mean, I think he has to at this point, take a close look at whether or not he can continue to be an effective member of Congress.

You know, Fredricka, I feel -- I have young -- I have 20-something- year-old daughters who are, you know, in the beginning of their professional career. And, you know, I think about this and look at this with, you know, I am sick to my stomach that I cant even imagine if they were put in a compromising, difficult, high pressure situation like young women who are accusing Congressman Swalwell of the conduct that he committed.

My heart breaks for these women, and so I think at this point, he has got to decide whether he can continue to effectively represent his constituents.

With All right, we will leave it there for now.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, thanks so much.

SCHULTZ: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead, new video just in showing Israeli strikes hitting Lebanon today. More than a million people have already been uprooted over the past month by the widening war against Iran- backed Hezbollah there. I will speak to a humanitarian worker on the ground about how families are struggling to survive as the fighting continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:38:03]

WHITFIELD: All right, happening right now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu making a rare trip into Southern Lebanon. An Israeli official says he is there to make an assessment of territory seized since the war began.

Also today, new video shows Israeli strikes hitting parts of Lebanon. Talks are still scheduled for this week in Washington between Israel and Lebanon, despite the U.S. not reaching a peace deal with Iran while in pakistan, and more than one million people have been displaced in Lebanon since the Israeli war against the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah began just over a month ago. That's according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

They also say at least 1,800 people have been killed in the conflict, and now there are growing concerns about a potential food crisis as well.

With us now is Allison Oman Lawi. She is the World Food Programme country director for Lebanon, and she is in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

So great to see you.

ALLISON OMAN LAWI, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME COUNTRY DIRECTOR FOR LEBANON: Thanks very much for having me.

WHITFIELD: So what is, I guess the greatest and most critical concern for people in the areas hit by this conflict?

LAWI: I mean, I think that what we are seeing is really mass displacement, over a million people have had to leave their homes sometimes very, very quickly, not able to take any of their possessions. And those million people are now living either in government-run shelters or theyre living with friends and family, or maybe even in public spaces.

And all of them need -- they need peace, they need security, they need safety, but they also need to have their basic needs, such as food taken care of every day.

So, what were seeing is a lot of people who are not only scared, have left everything, but also needing to think through how they are going to take care of their families, even while they are living in a really difficult and uncomfortable situation.

[15:40:07]

WHITFIELD: And how are you all able to help? At a minimum, trying to feed them, distribute food, get it to them?

LAWI: Yes, no, I mean, I am the country director, as you said, for the World Food Programme and so we really are thinking a lot about the humanitarian needs and particularly the food needs. So, it really depends on how we can reach people.

Here in beirut and in some of the other larger cities, there are government-run shelters and the World Food Programme has been looking at how do we get hot meals into these shelters, bread parcels, whatever people need to be able to feed their families in the shelters.

But we also have families and villages of people still down in the southern part of Lebanon, and for that, the World Food Programme is putting on convoys of food and other essential humanitarian goods to take down to the south through the logistics cluster, to support not only the World Food Programme, but the other partners that are trying to get essential services into people that need them most.

WHITFIELD: And then as it pertains to people, when you mention them being displaced, some are living with family members or, you know, I guess public shelters and then public spaces. I mean, that means the needs vary as well, depending on what the infrastructure is or lack thereof, you know, where people have been displaced to.

Describe how complicated it is now to try to get to all of those people in need? I mean, we are talking about a million people. That's significant.

LAWI: Yes, I mean, its a really hard situation. For the people who are in the shelters, in some ways, its a little bit easier at least to reach them, but you hear some heartbreaking stories. I was just in a shelter the other day and there was an older woman who was actually displaced twice, and she had finally gotten to the shelter. She was exhausted. She was living in a tent inside a shelter.

And when we brought the hot meals in, I mean, her level of sort of gratitude and grace of just thank you for whatever you can do for us, but it is really heartbreaking.

Also, I've been on quite a few convoys which are relatively nerve wracking, taking a convoy of trucks down to the south, but we were in one village the other day where they hadn't received any food supplies for a couple of weeks, and their stores were very low.

As we drove in, we drove by the village bakery and the whole glass front had shattered and they were quickly sweeping up the glass, firing up the ovens, because they knew that we were bringing in wheat flour so that they could make bread, which is a staple here in Lebanon.

So food is a really big issue, and the thing about it is that, you know, we are working with the government to figure out where people are and whatever their needs are. The government has really been pushing to try to have schools restart. So we've also restarted our school feeding program -- any way to support families, because this is a really hard time.

And the problem is that food prices are going up also, and so what we are seeing is that food is more expensive, and these families that are hosting other families and friends that are hosting friends also themselves don't necessarily have all of the food they need to be able to eat comfortably every day.

And so we are also looking at government safety nets to get cash into households, so that they can go out and buy foods, buy vegetables to take care of their families.

WHITFIELD: Wow! I am sure just as you said, the woman who you interacted with, people are expressing great gratitude that you are among the many who are trying as best you can to help out.

Allison Oman Lawi, thank you so much.

LAWI: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, and now to this breaking news, quite the contrast, going from that kind of hardship to now talking about potentially seismic change in the country of Hungary.

We have breaking news now that Viktor Orban, the country's right-wing prime minister for the last 16 years, has actually conceded defeat in the country's national elections.

CNN senior international correspondent, Melissa Bell is in Budapest, and she is joining us on the phone with what seems to be a very stunning outcome -- Melissa.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a remarkable outcome. I am having to speak to on the phone because our signal is so bad, given the sheer crowds that are out here on the banks of the Danube to celebrate the fact that Peter Magyar has won this election.

In fact, remarkably, Viktor Orban has already conceded defeat and congratulated the new Hungarian Prime Minister and what his people and his campaign managers and teams here are saying is that they believe he may even be on his way to the supermajority, that Viktor Orban had benefited from for the 16 years, which had allowed him to change the Constitution as far as he did.

[15:45:12]

What Peter Magyar had promised on the campaign trail was to do the same, should he get the two-thirds majority in Parliament in order to return Hungary to the rule of law.

So, this is an astonishing victory for Peter Magyar. This was not a level playing field. He referred to that earlier tonight in his first speech, and we expect him to speak again a little later about the victory itself.

Certainly, we've also seen a remarkable turnout. He thanked more than six million Hungarians for coming out to vote. It is the highest turnout since the fall of communism in 1990 here in Hungary, and an astonishing result for Peter Magyar that no one believed could do it. There were doubts about it till the end, given the iron grip that Viktor Orban had had on power.

So really amazing scenes out here tonight. A lot of young people celebrating, crying, waving flags and kind of in disbelief that this has happened -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Melissa, we are looking at live pictures now of the large number of people who are in the streets and you know what -- maybe 30 minutes ago, when you and I last spoke, you could kind of hear the excitement in the voices. Maybe that was a prelude to this outcome.

I think you had intimated at the time that it looked like he was certainly in the lead in the count, and that is why people were so excited. So I wonder if you're able to share I guess, any thoughts on how the relationship between Washington and Hungary might change because President Trump had been a huge advocate of Orban even inviting him to Mar-a-Lago just ahead of his election and then after his election, the two men would meet again.

What does this portend for the relationship between Washington and Hungary now?

BELL: You're quite right. There is a friendship there. There is admiration. There is the fact that for MAGA, this was really the birthplace in many ways ideologically of their movement and certainly the playbook that Viktor Orban had used in transforming Hungary into an illiberal democracy, we know had been part of the inspiration for Project 2025.

So, there is a deep ideological connection. There is friendship there, geopolitical allies as well. One really important sentence that J.D. Vance, the Vice President said when he was in Hungary a few days ago to lend support to Viktor Orban, he was asked by a journalist, if he loses, will you work with the next government? And several Hungarians pointed out to me that it was a super important they had clocked when he said, yes, of course, we will continue to work with whoever should come into power.

They will hope to be able to keep Hungary as an ally, but the point about Peter Magyar is that he has not only promised to return Hungary to the rule of law, he has promised also to repair the very damaged relationship with Brussels and that is going to transform Europe's ability to function as a bloc and that is likely to be something that is opposed or has been opposed so far by both Washington and Moscow, aligned on the fact that Orban being a thorn in the side of Brussels, had really worked for them.

So there is going to be a lot of changes, and I think one of the most surprising things tonight is how quickly Viktor Orban has conceded defeat, given the accumulation of power that had been so central to all he had done these last few years -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes, incredible. All right, Melissa Bell, glad to be with us. Thank you so much.

And we will be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, tonight, Eva Longoria is back, and this time she is searching for France, learning about the culture, cuisine and rich history of various regions.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAURY, CHEF: So next we are going to make the sauce.

EVA LONGORIA, CNN HOST, "SEARCHING FOR FRANCE": Okay.

Classic west African mafe features chili, peanut paste and beef broth.

It smells so good.

MAURY: Yes, it starts to smell.

LONGORIA: But Maury's (ph) version adds soy sauce and Japanese miso.

I am thinking that that's the part your mom doesn't like.

MAURY: Yes, this is the problem.

LONGORIA: Yes. This is the Japanese part.

MAURY: Yes, we got out from there. We are leaving West Africa, we've entered Japan.

LONGORIA: After 10 days bathing in butter --

Ooh, thats so pretty!

Maury sears slices of the beef fillet on a Japanese grill.

MAURY: Then we add some butter. So, add the butter directly.

LONGORIA: Oh, more butter. But why wouldn't you put the butter on the meat?

MAURY: We just want the taste of the butter, but not the fat.

LONGORIA: Yes.

MAURY: Its going to give completely different taste to the beef.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:59:23]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

WHITFIELD: All right, hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I am Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, no peace deal in hand, a fragile ceasefire in limbo and now the impact on the global economy uncertain.

After 21 hours of marathon negotiations that failed to produce an immediate peace deal, President Trump is increasing pressure on Iran today announcing a new blockade on ships from entering or exiting the vital Strait of Hormuz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK HOST, MORNINGS WITH MARIA": Mr. President, can you explain to us what is going on right now with the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, we are going to be blockading. It will take a little while, but it will be effective pretty soon and we had meetings yesterday, as you said, lasted 21 hours. That was a long meeting with some very, very good representatives, as you know, J.D. and Steve Jared.

So we were well-represented, but we didn't get there on the important issue. They want to have nuclear weapons. They are not going to have nuclear weapons.

BARTIROMO: So, Mr. President, was that the red line there? Can you explain to us what went on in these talks? What did the United States ask of Iran and how did they react?

TRUMP: Well, they reacted -- you know, it was very interesting. It started off weak. They were -- they came in like they had the cards, but they don't have the cards. Their Army, their whole military is obliterated. The whole place is obliterated. And, you know, as you know, levels of leaders are gone. They are literally gone.

Khamenei is gone, the whole thing is gone. The whole place is gone. They have one thing that they can do. They can say, well, gee, we are going to put a mine someplace in the -- just a mine. We will drop one mine, two mines, 10 mines, and that will -- if you have a ship that costs a billion dollars, you say, well, you know, I'd prefer not getting whacked by a mine, losing my ship or damaging it badly, at least.

And so thats a little bit of a thing that they can do, and if military might and military power dont do it, but you know, its extortion and they are extorting the world.

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