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U.S.-Iran Talks Break Down; Voting Underway in Hungary; A Standing Ovation. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired April 12, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

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[03:00:00]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, whoever you are in the world. You are now in the CNN Newsroom with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and his delegation are headed home after talks of Iran breakdown without a deal.

Voters in Hungary go to the polls in an election that could mark an end to Viktor Orban's rule.

And a standing ovation for the Artemis II astronauts as they reflect on their history-making mission.

Welcome. We are following breaking news out of Pakistan. Of course, the U.S. delegation has left Islamabad after unsuccessful marathon peace talks of Iran. But Pakistan vows it will continue to mediate between Washington and Iran in the coming days.

Iranian media reports Tehran is in no hurry to get back to the negotiating table. That's according to a source close to the Iranian delegation. And until the U.S. agrees to what Tehran deems a, quote, reasonable deal, the Straits of Hormuz will remain closed.

Vice President J.D. Vance gave this update shortly after those talks concluded. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: We have been at it now for 21 hours and we've had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians. That's the good news. The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that's bad news for Iran, much more than it's bad news for the United States of America.

So, we go back to the United States having not come to an agreement. We've made very clear what our red lines are, what things we're willing to accommodate them on and what things we're not willing to accommodate them on. And we've made that as clear as we possibly could, and they have chosen not to accept our terms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Okay. Let's bring in Bijan Hosseini standing by for us in London. Thank you for being with me again, sir. I appreciate it.

Just bring us up to speed on what happened in Islamabad after these marathon talks between the U.S. and Iran ended without a deal. What are you hearing about why they broke down?

BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Yes, Ben. It was a marathon, over 21 hours. We know U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, as well as Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner joining those talks from the US side, from the Iranian side, a delegation of 71 people, including their parliament speaker and their minister of foreign affairs. So, notable these massive key political figures the first time, direct talks with such a high level of figures has taken place face-to-face between these countries and decades, ultimately failing from the Iranian perspective because the U.S. demands were excessive and overreaching. That's what they said. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs coming out and saying that the two countries couldn't agree on two to three key issues.

We heard before this all took place, U.S. President Donald Trump coming out and saying it really didn't make a difference to him whether an agreement was reached or not. He said that the U.S. had already won the war. Iran kind of coming into these talks with that same sentiment, they definitely felt they had the upper hand, they had a bit more leverage given their control over the Strait of Hormuz, which has absolutely devastated global supply chain. We've seen that take place.

There's a lot of other issues that play as well, Iran's nuclear enrichment program, relief of sanctions. Iran wanted a regional ceasefire that included Lebanon and Israel. So, it seems the two parties were unwilling to meet there in the middle on many of those key issues.

So, where does that leave us? Well, currently in the middle of a two- week ceasefire. We know yesterday no reported attacks on Iran, also no reported attacks from Iran on those Gulf states or into Israel. It's been a very welcomed period of calm and stability, especially among those Gulf countries that have kind of been caught in the crossfire. So, we don't know what happens to that two-week ceasefire.

We also know Qatar had come out and said they were going to renew maritime navigation in the strait and in the Persian Gulf. We don't know if that will continue. We know the U.S. Navy was removing mines in the Strait of Hormuz. We don't know what will happen there as well, and we don't know what will happen with Israel and Lebanon. The two countries were speaking about holding potential ceasefire talks next week.

[03:05:01]

So, it really feels all of this is up in the air, and, unfortunately, a lot more questions right now than answers. Ben? HUNTE: So many questions. My goodness, there's a lot going on, but you are on top of it. Thank you for that, Bijan Hosseini. We appreciate it.

Onwards, some reporters got a glimpse of President Donald Trump just moments after Vance announced he was headed home empty handed. CNN's Julia Benbrook has all the details for us.

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JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While United States negotiators, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were in Islamabad for these talks with the Iranians, President Donald Trump was here in Florida at a social gathering at the UFC fight surrounded by family.

We also know that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was there. And according to reporters in the room around that same time that Vance came out and announced that an agreement had not been met, Rubio was seen leaning over to whisper something to Trump there during those fights. We don't know for sure if that was the topic of discussion, but it does seem likely.

Now, as Trump traveled out here, he did take some questions from reporters at the White House. And he said he was getting updates on these hours-long talks as they were taking place, but that, from his viewpoint, it didn't really matter how the talks went because he believes that the United States has already won this conflict militarily. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We win no matter what. We've defeated their military. They have no navy. 158 ships are underwater, under sea. All of their minesweepers and all of their -- they call them mine droppers. Can you imagine a country has 28 min droppers? You think that's nice? With all of that being said, they're all defeated, by the way, they're all at the bottom of the sea.

Now, with all of that, they have no navy. They have no radar. They have no air force. Their leaders are all dead. Khamenei is gone. For many years, he ruled. He's gone. With all of that, let's see what happens. But from my standpoint, I don't care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Now, those comments came before the official announcement that there had not been an agreement, and Vance outlined that there were certain things that the Iranians were not able to commit to that were red lines for the Trump administration, specifically when it comes to nuclear weapons.

I want to read for you a part of his remarks. He said, quote, the simple fact is that we need to see an. Affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon. Now, that echoes some comments that we heard from Trump several weeks ago now when he was speaking to a group of Republican lawmakers here in Florida. He said, we've already won in many ways, but we haven't won enough. I pressed him on what he meant by that. What would be enough? What was his baseline for ending this conflict? And that's when he said that they needed to be able to look at negotiators, he referenced Witkoff who was in the room at the time, but that they needed to be able to look at those negotiators and confirm that they were not going to pursue a nuclear weapon. Vance is saying they did not get that commitment.

Traveling with the president in Florida, Julia Benbrook, CNN.

HUNTE: Let's bring in the editor-in-chief of The National, Mina Al- Oraibi live from Abu Dhabi. Thank you so much for being with us again, Mina, I appreciate it.

Can you just bring us up to speed on where things stand right now after those U.S. and Iran talks in Islamabad ended without a deal. What are you hearing about why they broke down after so many hours?

MINA AL-ORAIBI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE NATIONAL: Hi, Ben. What we're hearing from our correspondent in Islamabad is that these talks were intense and at first, of course, were indirect, and then you had direct talks happening to try to come to an agreement.

However, when you see speak to mediators that have mediated similar very tricky situations, they say to you, it's impossible to expect to come to a deal within 24 hours, especially when the U.S. and Iranian positions are so far apart.

So, I think it's important to put into context. Hopefully the ceasefire can hold and hopefully there can be more room for negotiation. It's not clear, and we have to keep in mind that the announcement from Vice President J.D. Vance was that the talks did not succeed, but it doesn't mean that all future talks are off.

So, what we are hearing from our correspondent that this was an initial important first step. They discussed a lot of issues, but it seems that both the Iranians and the Americans are quite far apart. And the Iranians seem to think that they can actually try to get away with controlling the Strait of Hormuz, which, of course, not only does the U.S. reject, the entire world rejects. We've heard from. India to Singapore, to Germany, of course, here in the UAE, absolute rejection of that sort of status, because it would unravel international law governing the seas globally, it would be a huge disaster for the world.

So, that is a non-starter. The Iranians seem to think that they can push to make that some sort of concession in these talks.

[03:10:00]

HUNTE: Well, let's talk a bit more about the Strait of Hormuz. Obviously, it's such a big deal at the moment. Just how significant do you think that was in these talks and what would it mean if Tehran does continue to restrict access there?

AL-ORAIBI: So, the details of the talks are still coming out. Both sides, of course, are going to give their version. We haven't had full details yet, but they are quite significant because, again, this is a non-starter not only for the U.S. but globally. And there have been countries speaking to the Americans, speaking to the Pakistanis, and some countries are speaking to the Iranians too, saying that this is a matter that should not even be on the table to negotiate. Iran has inserted this as a way of trying to have leverage in the talks.

What we're understanding is that, of course, the nuclear issue remains a major issue, but also that the Strait of Hormuz now has become a card that Iran wants to play and that, honestly, should not be allowed to play. So, I think it became a point of negotiation that the Iranians feel gives them strength, but also the Americans now have been briefing in the last few hours that they would consider taking action, including possibly putting an external blockade on the Strait of Hormuz in order to take away that power from the Iranians. And that would mean moving warships and actually then controlling what does go in and out from the strait.

HUNTE: Can you just tell us a bit more about some of those potential global economic and legal consequences if we do see the straight continue to stay shut effectively?

AL-ORAIBI: Well, the economic consequences we're already seeing, you know, everything from the price of the pump for the average consumer has already started to go up. Concerns about food prices as fertilizer prices go up. Everything, from sulfur through to fertilizer, oil, comes through the strait in different variations. Some of the elements that we're talking about go up to 50 percent and, of course, 20 percent of all the world's energy. So, that has the economic consequences.

But, really, the legal consequences are what important. Sometimes we take for granted that we live in a world where there is this free flow of navigation in international waters. But those were hard-earned rights for the world where different countries had to negotiate from, you know, Denmark with the U.S., to other global moments. So, if this unravels, you can imagine this will have repercussions.

We had an interview with the head of the E.U. foreign policy chief, basically, Kaja Kallas, who was here in Abu Dhabi. And she said it would be a slippery slope. It would be a dangerous precedent set for the world. And so it is really of international concern that it would be a precedent that then other countries could seek to replicate.

I do also want to talk about Lebanon because we've had guests on speaking about a humanitarian crisis occurring there, and it is a key part of this with Israel continuing strikes there especially. How much do you think that is complicating efforts to reach a broader agreement here?

AL-ORAIBI: So, Ben, you're right that it is first and foremost an absolute humanitarian crisis. You have at least 20 percent of the population of Lebanon is now displaced because Israel has pushed into Lebanon. And, of course, Hezbollah pulled Lebanon into this war by its initial strikes of Israel that it almost feels like the Israelis were waiting for an excuse given how intensive their attacks have been.

Now, Iran has always wanted to be on the table with America and negotiating on behalf of countries like Lebanon, and it shouldn't be allowed. Lebanon is a sovereign country, and they have, of course, to deal with Hezbollah, which often does Iran's bidding inside of Lebanon. But it's important that this is a Lebanese track. And, of course, the Israelis and Lebanese have their initial contact with the Lebanese ambassador to Washington speaking to her Israeli counterpart.

But now we'll see if there is a separate Lebanese track. The Iranians should not be allowed to make this region-wide where they undercut the sovereignty of countries like Lebanon or even Iraq, where you have militias that are doing Iran's bidding. Hugely important that Iran is only to be held responsible for what they do, and, of course, proxies are militias that they try to fund or try to push. To work against the interests of their own countries, like Lebanon and Iraq.

HUNTE: Mina, I always love your insights. Thank you so much for being with me. I appreciate it.

AL-ORAIBI: Thanks, Ben.

HUNTE: Onwards, we will have more breaking news coverage on the stalling ceasefire negotiations after the break. Still ahead, an update on the economic fallout from trade disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

And later Iranians in Los Angeles take to the streets over the war. We will tell you who they want to lead Iran.

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[03:15:00]

HUNTE: Welcome back. The fate of trade in the Straits of Hormuz remains a key sticking point in dissolving peace talks between the U.S. and Iran. Vice President J.D. Vance did not disclose whether the strategic waterway would be reopened after negotiators failed to strike a deal earlier.

But Qatar's Transport Ministry says all forms of maritime navigation will fully resume in the Persian Gulf starting on Sunday. It is unclear whether there has been any coordination with Iran surrounding that initiative.

Gas prices in the U.S. do remain high. That's despite the ceasefire announcement easing oil markets in recent days. The national average is currently hovering around $4.13 per gallon, according to the AAA auto association. Analysts argue it could take weeks for gas to dip below $4 again and months for prices to return to pre-war levels.

The ongoing trade disruptions in the Middle East are also taking a toll on economies across Africa. Experts warned that rising fuel prices and critical fertilizer shortages could have a lasting impact throughout the African continent.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE (voice over): In Eswatini, lighting lamps using paraffin is cheaper than using electricity. Paraffin is a petroleum byproduct used for cooking and heating. And like most fuel products in the world today, the prices have surged.

NELISIWE GWEBU, ESWATINI RESIDENT: It really hurts me because I can only buy one liter. And this one liter, I can only use it for only two days.

[03:20:01]

HUNTE: But it's not just people in Eswatini who are struggling. Across Africa, fuel prices have shot up by as much as 15 to 40 percent, some fuel types even higher. Some tuk-tuk drivers in Somalia say there aren't enough customers to sustain a full day's work anymore.

AHMED ABUKAR AHMED, SOMALI TUK-TUK DRIVER: The biggest challenge is that you must fill the tuk-tuk with fuel and drive around town looking for passengers. But fuel used to be cheap. For example, before the tuk-tuk would use 50 cents while searching for passengers, and then earn $2 from fares. Now, the tuk-tuk can use $3 before finding a passenger.

Along with fuel, the cost of fertilizer is also going up. Africa imports about 6 million tons of fertilizer a year. And if farmers can't afford it, especially now during peak planting season, future crops could suffer and the continent could face even more food insecurity.

Some African countries are taking measures to conserve fuel. Tanzania's president is reducing the size of her motorcade and instructing officials to ride in shared buses. Egypt is requiring restaurants, cafes, and stores to close by 9:00 P.M. And South Sudan is rationing power in its capital city, Juba.

But there's little that some African businesses can do when their operations depend on shipping routes caught in a chokehold. One flower grower in Kenya says he's throwing away 20 to 25 percent of its blooms because he can't ship them out.

INDER NAIN, XFLORA GROUP: We use Saudi Airlines, we use Emirates, we use Qatar. These are major providers of freight services, so that is having a major impact. Can we get up tomorrow and go to somebody else? I don't think so.

HUNTE: Aliko Dangote, the owner of Africa's largest oil refinery in Nigeria, says it is operating at peak production to help offset shortages, but says it may take several months for oil prices to stabilize.

ALIKO DANGOTE, FOUNDER, DANGOTE GROUP: The challenges are mainly one is of urea, which is fertilizer that we have. I think in the last couple of days, we've been loading to mostly African countries, which we were not doing before. And then now is to do with also petroleum products, which are now sending mainly to, you know, African countries.

HUNTE: Africa was already impacted by the Russia-Ukraine war, both countries significant suppliers of agricultural goods to the continent. Now, another war is shaking up Africa's supply chain, hiking prices in some places that can afford it the least.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Often referred to as Tehrangeles, the city of L.A. has one of the largest populations of Iranians in the U.S. Many fled their homeland 47 years ago during the Islamic Revolution. And on Saturday, some of those same families rallied in support of the U.S. war efforts.

As Julia Vargas Jones reports now, they want the U.S. to continue until the regime is completely toppled.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The main message from this rally is that these people do not want any kind of deal with the current Iranian government. They said they wouldn't trust them to begin with. What they want is an interim government that would be led by Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last shah of Iran, the crown prince of Iran, that would then lead them into democracy again.

Now, many of the people here said that they feel like they're caught in between, in the middle, between the Trump administration and Iran. They say that there's a growing call now for actual, meaningful change, and they say that what the United States and Israel are doing is actually not enough. They want to see more action to take down the current structures of power in Iraq.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't want any deals. We are tired of that. They always cheating to the people and the world. They said, we're doing this, we're doing that. But at the end, they kill the people and we have evidence of that. So, we don't want any deal with them. This is why all the people didn't discontinue and don't give up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Now, they're saying that the people inside Iran are telling them that they are very uncertain of what comes next, that while some still welcome this kind of intervention, the deeper concern is what comes after this. And they're afraid that there could be even more intense crackdowns if a deal is reached.

Now, there is one comment from President Donald Trump back on Tuesday where he said that about a potential annihilation of an entire culture, an entire of people, that did not sit well with Iranians here in Los Angeles. They say they understood that perhaps President Trump was trying to pressure the regime but that he has to remember that many of them still have family and friends in Iran who have been affected.

And in some cases, those are the same people that were supporting the strikes but the vast majority of the people in this rally say that they still support President Trump and that they believe that he has the best interest of their country at heart.

[03:25:10]

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles.

HUNTE: Ahead, the leader of Moscow's closest ally in the European Union is fighting to hold onto power. Why the 16-year tenure of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban could come to an end.

See you in a moment.

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[03:30:00]

HUNTE: Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunts. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

The U.S. delegation led by Vice President J.D. Vance has left Islamabad after failed peace talks with Iran. Vance, who is now the highest ranking U.S. official to enter negotiations with Tehran in decades, said Iranian negotiators refused to accept U.S. terms for a deal, which he claimed had been, quote, quite flexible.

Meanwhile, Iranian media reports that Tehran is in no hurry to keep talking. According to a source close to the Iranian delegation, there will be no change in the status of the Straits of Hormuz without a reasonable deal from the U.S.

Iranians in favor of the U.S. war effort demonstrated in Los Angeles on Saturday. Many say they support President Donald Trump and don't want the U.S. to negotiate with the Islamic Republic. Los Angeles has one of the largest Iranian populations in the U.S.

Onwards now, Pakistan says it will continue to mediate between Iran and the U.S. in the days to come after marathon talks failed to result in a permanent peace deal. Iran's Foreign Ministry said earlier, two or three key issues prevented Tehran and Washington from striking that deal in Islamabad. Despite reports from Iranian media that Tehran is in no hurry for another round of negotiations, an Iranian official says quote, diplomacy never comes to an end.

CNN's Nic Robertson asked the U.S. vice president what ultimately led to the deadlock shortly after those talks concluded. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Nic Robertson from CNN. Precisely, what have they rejected here? Can you help us understand it a little bit?

VANCE: Well, I won't go into all the details because I don't want to negotiate in public after we negotiated for 21 hours in private, but the simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon. That is the core goal of the president of the United States, and that's what we've tried to achieve through these negotiations.

Again, their nuclear programs, such as it is, the enrichment facilities that they've had before, they've been destroyed. But the simple question is, do we see a fundamental commitment of will for the Iranians not to develop a nuclear weapon, not just now, not just two years from now, but for the long-term? We haven't seen that yet. We hope that we will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: And Nic Robinson does have more for us from Islamabad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: So, this is where we just heard from the vice president, no deal on the talks with Iran over 16 hours, an absolute marathon session through the night here in the center of Islamabad. It is dawn now.

When the talks began on Saturday, it was late afternoon. And we've quite literally witnessed the sun go down and then the sun come up again. And what the vice president has said is that Iran, he doesn't believe, is giving that fundamental core agreement about its nuclear aspirations.

He didn't say what happens next. He didn't talk about a specific end to the ceasefire. He didn't say if it's a return to war, but what he said the United States has done is given Iran its final and best offer. The ball, it appears, is in Iran's court to come up with answers now that it hasn't been able to through this marathon session of talks.

The vice president also saying that through the night, he continually kept President Trump briefed and updated. He said that he'd come into these talks positive, but, fundamentally, the vice president coming in looking, he hoped, to get a relatively quick solution. The Iranians, with a much larger delegation and a much different negotiating style coming into these talks with perhaps the aspiration, as they have done in the past, of talking, drilling down, getting what they wanted. Fundamentally, also, the Iranians believe that they still hold cards, that they can still control the Strait of Hormuz. And to them, that is something that is leverage, real leverage, they believe, and that it could get more than they were offered here in Islamabad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: As the ceasefire in Iran remains in limbo, a separate truce in Ukraine reportedly is being violated. Moscow is accusing Kyiv of breaking a ceasefire declared over Orthodox Easter. A state news agency says a Ukrainian drone hit a gas station in Western Russia, injuring three people, including a one-year-old child. Another civilian was also wounded in a separate attack in the occupied part of Ukraine's Kherson region.

[03:35:00]

Russian officials also say Ukrainian strikes killed two more people and injured at least seven others before the ceasefire. The truce is in effect until the end of the day on Sunday.

Voting is underway in Hungary in an election that could bring the biggest political change in 16 years. That is how long nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been in power. During that time, he became the darling of far right movements worldwide and the Kremlin's closest ally in the E.U. However, Hungary has been accused of backsliding on democracy and press freedoms too.

Mr. Orban is now facing a challenge from opposition leader Peter Magyar, whose party has been ahead in opinion polls for over a year now. Some political scientists say, Mr. Orban's loss could be a crushing blow to other far right movements.

Let's keep talking about it. CNN's Melissa Bell is standing by outside of a polling station in Budapest, or she's inside it now and she's joining us live. Melissa, this is being described as a make-or-break election for Viktor Orban. What are you hearing about expected turnout and momentum today?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we already have an idea of just how high the turnout is. Polls have been open for more than three hours now and turnout is double what it was four years ago. That gives you an idea of how much people care about this election.

We're here at a school all over the country. Schools like this have been turned into polling station and we've seen a steady trickle of people since we arrived. This is being extremely closely watched inside Hungary because opponents of Victor or a band belief that they may finally have found a way, a challenger, at least, that might just see him out of power. And we should find out by today whether or not that's happened. That is remarkable when you consider the constitutional changes that have been made by Viktor Orban over the course of the last 16 years.

You mentioned that democratic backsliding. Experts have described this election as a result of those changes in the concentration of power in small hands of people as free but not fair. And yet, Peter Magyar has been leading in the polls for some time and his lead is substantial, so much so that there are those within his camp that are hoping that tonight they won't simply win, but might even achieve that two-thirds majority, which Peter Magyar says he would then use to change the Constitution and return the rule of law to Hungary.

Now, that is as far as Hungary goes, but this is an election, as we've been discussing, Ben, that is being watched far beyond, and that will reverberate far beyond because of Viktor Orban's difficult relationship with the European Union, because of the sort of figurehead that he's become for many far right, Euro-skeptic movements elsewhere in Europe, but also because of his relationship with MAGA on one hand and with Moscow on the other.

In fact, what we've seen at some of Peter Magyar's rallies and they've been held, he's been holding several a day, he's been holding them in the deepest countryside of Hungary to try and get the vote out. One of the rallying cries we've seen from his supporters in those rallies has been Russians out, which was one of the cries, by the way, of the Hungarian uprising back in 1956. A reminder that history doesn't so much repeat itself as really rhyme.

The idea of his supporters is that he would bring back the rule of law. He would change Hungary's relationship to Russia. On the other hand, what we've seen at the heart of Victor Orban's campaign is a determined reminder to his electorate that he believes he's brought them prosperity, but also thanks to that relationship with Moscow has kept them out of the war with Ukraine and has allowed them to benefit from cheap Russian oil and gas in defiance of the European Union.

So, that's been his pitch to the electorate, but after 16 years, there is that tremendous hope, that momentum on the other side, and, again, a remarkable turnout already. Ben?

HUNTE: Let's see what happens next. Melissa, thank you so much.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's opposition leader made a rare visit to China where she met President Xi Jinping. CNN's World Ripley has a latest for us from Taiwan,

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A supporter of Taiwan's opposition leader, Cheng Li-wun, made an off- the-cuff outburst during her trip to China and was dragged out by the neck. In a visit as sensitive as this, there's no room for surprises.

Things went much smoother at the Port of Shanghai. Cheng even quoted a famous poem from World War I.

What should be flying in the sky are birds, not missiles, and what should be swimming in the sea are fish not warships, she said, a message that must have been music to the ears of Chinese Leader Xi Jinping. He invited her to visit China, a trip she was trying to secure for months. Cheng stuck to the script, echoing Beijing's biggest talking points on one of its most sensitive topics, Taiwan.

I hope that Taiwan Strait will no longer be a flashpoint for conflict, nor a chessboard allowing external interference, she said, peace maxing and poking at the U.S. and Japan, key allies of her political rival, Taiwan's ruling democratic progressive party.

[03:40:03]

President Lai Ching-te is trying to forge closer ties with the U.S., facing fierce opposition from Cheng's KMT, after the party controls a parliament so deadlocked, so divided, brawls sometimes break out. Right now, they're fighting over President Lai's defense budget, to buy billions in U.S.-made weapons, which Cheng's party is blocking.

SEN. JOHN CURTIS (R-UT): As we invest in this part of the world that you are also investing and that we're in this together.

RIPLEY: Taiwan is facing mounting pressure from Washington to increase military spending and Beijing, which often holds military drills near this island democracy, never ruling out taking it by force if necessary. Taiwan will likely loom over President Trump's Beijing meeting with Xi next month.

As a student in 1988, Cheng gave this fiery speech calling on Taiwan to build its own country and overthrow the tyranny of the party she now leads. Last year she vowed to make all Taiwanese proudly and confidently identify as Chinese, which is why President Xi is meeting with her and refusing to engage with Taiwan's elected leader whose independents-leaning party won the past three presidential elections.

What is China's endgame?

CHEN FANG-YU, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, SOOCHOW UNIVERSITY: China's endgame is unification of Taiwan and for Taiwanese people is annexation.

RIPLEY: Political Science Professor Chen Fang-yu worries Taiwan could end up like Tibet or Hong Kong, both promised by Beijing to keep their autonomy, only to end up under strict Chinese control.

FANG-YU: The most important lesson from history is that we can never trust CCP.

RIPLEY: Retiree Martha Wu (ph) thinks talking is a good thing. It's great, she says. It fosters peace between Taipei and Beijing and prevents war from happening.

Cheng's controversial visit is dividing Taiwan months before local elections. Beijing hopes this meeting will shape what comes next.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Coming up, we'll hear from the Artemis II crew who are sharing a strong message about cooperation and camaraderie. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:00]

HUNTE: Welcome back. NASA and the rest of the world are welcoming the Artemis II crew back to Earth with resounding joy. The four astronauts received a standing ovation when they arrived at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on Saturday. They also reunited with their families after their ten-day journey all around the moon. The Orion capsules splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, capped the successful mission. Speaking publicly for the first time since their return to Earth, the crew members described the camaraderie that they shared on their journey to deep space.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REID WISEMAN, ARTEMIS II COMMANDER: We are bonded forever, and no one down here is ever going to know what the four of us just went through.

VICTOR GLOVER, ARTEMIS II PILOT: When this started on April 3rd, I wanted to thank God in public and I want to thank God again.

CHRISTINA KOCH, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: What struck me wasn't necessarily just Earth. It was all the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbingly in the universe.

JEREMY HANSEN, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: When you look up here, you're not looking at us. We are a mirror reflecting you. And if you like what you see, then just look a little deeper. This is you.

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HUNTE: Scientists do hope the U.S. and the world are learning even more lessons from Artemis II. Astrophysicist Adam Frank told CNN about his biggest takeaway from the mission.

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ADAM FRANK, ASTROPHYSICIST: We are a country that has science denial at the highest levels. And what this showed was the importance of getting the answer right, right? You know, science denial, you know, is all fine and good until you absolutely have to get the answer right. And whether it was, you know, the heat shield or whether it's climate change and the size of your -- the height of your sea wall, what this showed was these NASA engineers understood what the problem was, made the adjustments, and they got the answer right. And I think that is a real demonstration of the power of American science when it's unleashed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Still to come, the Master's golf tournament's defending champion hit a snag in his quest for a second consecutive. Roy McIlroy's plan for the final round, next.

See you in a moment.

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[03:50:00]

HUNTE: Welcome back. Golf's greatest players continue to be challenged on the legendary greens at the Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Now what looks like Rory McIlroy's clear shot at another green jacket is in jeopardy. CNN World Sport's Don Riddell recaps the wild third round for you. Have a watch.

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: There's no such thing as a sure thing here at the Masters. Just ask Rory McIlroy. In 2011, his four-stroke lead imploded during an excruciating final round that scarred him until he finally won this tournament here in 2025. And then on Saturday, his record-breaking six-stroke advantage completely evaporated.

The defending champion seemingly coasting to another green jacket ended his day in a worse position than he had started, and he's the only player in the top 14 who found himself going backwards. However, he is still tied at the top of the leaderboard on 11 under par, and he'll tee off in the final pairing on Sunday with the American, Cam Young.

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RORY MCILROY, GOLFER: I'd like to think that I'll play a little bit freer and I'll play -- you know, play like I've already got a green jacket, which I do. Sometimes I maybe just have to remind myself of that, but, you know, there's a lot of guys in with a chance tomorrow. You know, I'm still tied for the best score going into tomorrow, so I can't forget that, but I do know I'm going to have to be better if I want to have a chance to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: It was a highly stressful afternoon for McIlroy. All week, he's been wilded off the tee, but on Thursday and Friday he managed to turn water into wine, making birdie after birdie to take control of the tournament. But his luck ran out on Saturday. He dropped three strokes around Amen Corner, and although he recovered with a couple of birdies after that, he dropped another stroke on 17. He's got a fight on his hands if he wants to become only the fourth man to win back-to- back Masters.

[03:55:01]

There's no shortage of challenges to his crown, eight players within four strokes of the lead. Young shot a brilliant 65 on Saturday. He's looking to add the Masters to his Player's Championship from March.

Some of the patrons told me this morning that while they didn't want to see a collapse from McIlroy, they at least hope that Sunday would be competitive. We'll see how it all turns out. But one of their wishes has come true. Back to you.

HUNTE: And that's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta, and I will see you in three weeks- time, vacation time for me. But stay with CNN. There is more about breaking news coverage right after this.

See you in three weeks time.

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