Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Takes Effect; European Union Introduces an Age Verification App to Protect Young People Online. Aired 3-3:45a ET

Aired April 17, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

A ceasefire is now in effect in Lebanon, but there are already accusations of the truce being violated. We'll have the latest in a live report.

U.S. President Donald Trump expresses optimism on reaching a deal with Iran, more details on efforts to end that war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Plus, a look at the age verification app that Europe just announced to protect young people on social media.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: It is 10:00 a.m. across Israel and Lebanon where a brand new 10-day ceasefire is now in effect.

Already the Lebanese army is accusing Israel of multiple violations. So will people of Lebanon welcome the ceasefire just after midnight local time with fireworks and celebratory gunfire? Hezbollah says it will abide by the agreement as long as Israel stops its attacks.

Meanwhile, President Trump is praising the U.S. naval blockade of Iran's ports as amazing.

He says the next round of talks to end that war could happen as soon as this weekend. The President is even hinting he could travel to Pakistan to sign any deal.

CNN's international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is live this hour in Islamabad, Pakistan. So Nic, let's cover both ceasefires, but start with Israel-Lebanon and the strain that ceasefire is already under.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, that ceasefire came into being because of a huge amount of public pressure by President Trump to get it done. It's very much part of the architecture of trying to get the U.S.-Iran deal done.

But the Prime Minister of Israel, the President of Lebanon, were really resisting getting into this agreement to cease the war crossing the border between Israel and Lebanon. Israel targeting Hezbollah, civilians being caught up and killed in that, and as recently as within the past hour or so, Lebanese officials accusing the IDF, Israeli forces inside of Lebanon, of shooting at an ambulance. Now the IDF in the past accused Hezbollah of moving people and weapons inside of ambulances.

But these sort of tests of the ceasefire I don't think are unexpected. It would be a real concern if Israel returned to the heavy bombardment in Beirut and other areas inside Lebanon. I mean, I think everyone would look at that and see that as a huge breach of the ceasefire and really put in jeopardy what President Trump wants to achieve, which is this U.S.-Iran deal.

And negotiations for that are ongoing. They're ongoing at the moment in Tehran. For almost 48 hours now, the most powerful figure in Pakistan, Field Marshal Asim Munir and Pakistan's Interior Minister, have been in Tehran holding talks with the Iranians.

First with the Foreign Minister, who was a sort of number two of the delegation who met with J.D. Vance here over the weekend. Then they met with the Speaker of Parliament, who was a leader of that Iranian delegation. Then they met with military officials, Iranian army officials.

And then they met late last night with the President of Iran. All of this is building and trying to use that ceasefire in Lebanon. And it was very interesting to see the Iranians praise the Pakistani Field Marshal for helping achieve that ceasefire, also heard the same thing from Pakistani sources too.

It is clearly, at the talks last weekend, a massive breakdown in trust of the Iranians, of the United States, worse than it was before. A move to bring the ceasefire that they consider important, that the Iranians consider important in Lebanon, does appear to be a key part of getting that bigger ceasefire.

Core issues remain though, and that is the nuclear weapons. President Trump, however, is being very optimistic about what can be achieved.

BRUNHUBER: Alright, I appreciate that, Nic Robertson--

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Iran is going along swimmingly. We can do whatever we want. And it should be ending pretty soon.

It was perfect. I mean, it's perfect. It was the power we have, our military.

We have the most powerful military anywhere in the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE) [03:05:02]

ROBERTSON: The hard reality is though, it's the final yards of any deal, the details that are going to be the most difficult. And that appears to be what's happening in Tehran right now.

Who gets the highly enriched uranium? How? Which troops are on the ground, or any troops? Or does Iran do it by itself? And where does that material end up? Are likely to be some of the sort of key questions.

But if talks that are going on there right now. As I say, going into almost, into their third day, it will be, by late afternoon. If they can be successful, then I think that appears to indicate that a signature could be had on some part, some aspect or whole part of the deal.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, we'll be watching, I appreciate that. Nic Robertson in Islamabad. Thanks so much.

U.S. Central Command has released new video taken near the Strait of Hormuz. It says the video shows an American warship enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports.

Tehran is denying reports that the blockade's causing shortages of essential goods for its citizens. U.S. blockade came in response to Iran's own restrictions on ship's ability to use the Strait of Hormuz. Britain and France are set to host a virtual meeting of 40 countries today to discuss efforts to reopen the waterway.

We'll bring in CNN's Eleni Giokos, who's live in Dubai. So, Eleni, this conference that will be getting underway, what are we expecting?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, we've been hearing a lot of sort of diplomatic potential push to open up the Strait of Hormuz. Whether it's going to result in anything remains to be seen.

But, of course, a lot of conversations have been going on over the past few weeks without any tangible action. So we know that the leaders of Britain and France are going to be holding this virtual meeting with world leaders to figure out a way. They say it's going to be purely defensive.

Is this going to come with a coalition of governments coming together to open up the Strait of Hormuz now that we're seeing a double blockade, essentially?

You've got the Iranian checkpoint in one part, specifically in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has said any vessels, any shippers that want to transit need to directly coordinate with Iranian forces. And then you've got the U.S. naval blockade, where we now have a lot more information. And you showed that video that was released by U.S. Central Command and basically depicting, firstly, what kind of warning messages are being sent to tankers that are trying to cross and any vessels that are trying to cross past the naval blockade put there by the United States. But it also shows that vessels are testing and shippers are testing the enforcement of this naval blockade. In the Pentagon briefing yesterday, we heard a bit more information. And one thing that really struck us was that these waters are very congested.

And the Pentagon made it very clear that it is very tough and very difficult to operate there. But they have sophisticated air cover. They've got satellites and they've got 12-plus Navy ships with around 10,000 crew embarking on this blockade.

They also expanded the blockade, which is really important. So this isn't just about vessels that are transiting from Iranian ports and Iranian territorial waters, but any vessels that have links to Iran and potentially carrying any Iranian products. They're also focusing on shadow fleets, which, of course, have been very dominant since the start of the war.

But also, Lloyd's List says that this could actually see sort of Venezuela-style tanker chases because the United States has expanded this blockade. And it says that it could include any vessels in any seas. So we're waiting to see how that's going to be enforced.

But it is a sign that they're tightening the screws on Iran that has paradoxically been profiting from this war. Firstly, from the lifting of sanctions on its oil that was already out at sea. That's coming to an end over the weekend.

But the other thing is that they've been able to, you know, charge a toll fee for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Not all have paid the fee, but some have. And expanding what they view as contraband on vessels.

So it's not just oil products, but includes metals and any other cargo that the United States could be up for seizing as well.

BRUNHUBER: All right, I appreciate that. Eleni Giokos in Dubai. Thanks so much.

Now, last hour, I spoke with Gregoire Roos, director for Europe, Russia and Eurasia at Chatham House. And I asked him what the countries taking part in this virtual summit can really accomplish if the U.S. is doing its own thing with a naval blockade. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREGOIRE ROSS, DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE, RUSSIA, AND EURASIA AT CHATHAM HOUSE: For now, the U.S. has said, look, I mean, you're either with us or you're not against us, but you're definitely not with us. So please join the blockade of the Strait, which the British and the French have repeatedly refused because they saw it as a risk to be entrapped in the war and become de facto belligerents.

So it's a kind of balancing act, trying to be constructive and support the U.S. on the diplomatic side to ensure that the ceasefire remains. And in the end, within the next few months, you get to see a reopening of the Strait. [03:10:06]

And that is the plan of this joint initiative. It will be interesting to see whether they manage to call the President during the during the meeting, in which case we would see some kind of a bit of what you saw with the coalition of the willing in Ukraine, where they managed to synchronize their agenda with that of Washington or rather the other way around, have Washington somehow line on their own agenda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: While visiting Cameroon, Pope Leo condemned what he called tyrants and masters of war. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO XIV, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: The masters of war pretended not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy. Yet often a life is often not enough to rebuild. The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now Pope Leo also schooled world leaders who use religion as a justification for war. He didn't mention any names, but as remarked, come as President Trump has repeatedly attacked him over his criticism of the U.S. Israeli military operation in Iran.

Back in Washington, CNN questioned the President about his spat with the pontiff. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Are you fighting with the pope? Are you worried it's upsetting your Evangelical supporters --

TRUMP: No, I don't, I have to do what's right. The pope can say what he wants and I want him to say what he wants, but I can disagree.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, Pope Leo is pushing forward with his 10 day Africa trip. He's expected to arrive in Douala, Cameroon's commercial capital, in the next few hours. The pope's scheduled to celebrate mass at a stadium and visit a Catholic hospital.

Alarming results from new studies about the Atlantic Ocean. The currents that carry heat, salt and freshwater through the ocean are getting weaker. We'll find out how that would affect our weather and the climate.

Plus, Europe is rolling out a new way to verify age online as part of a bigger push to protect children. Details on those stories coming up, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: The critical system of ocean currents that loops around the Atlantic Ocean is weakening. According to two new studies, that system could be far closer to collapse than previously thought.

Such a collapse would have catastrophic impacts on the weather and climate of planet Earth. Research suggests the ocean currents are weakening as human-driven climate change disrupts the delicate balance of heat and dissolved salts.

Joining us now live from Strasbourg, France, is Valentin Portmann, climate researcher at Inria Center at the University of Bordeaux. And he's the lead author of the latest study on the weakening of the Atlantic Ocean current system.

Thank you so much for being here with us, I really appreciate it.

So, you know, briefly, just for a lay person like me, explain why the ocean current is weakening and why should we care?

VALENTIN PORTMANN, CLIMATE RESEARCHER, UNIVERSITY OF BORDEAUX-INRIA CENTER: Thank you very much for your attention and for receiving me. I'm really glad to be here. And I can explain briefly.

So this ocean circulation is transporting heat to the North Atlantic from the tropics. And this warm water gets colder in the North Atlantic. This is very salty water.

And when it gets colder, these two effects to get water very dense, this water sink and gets back southwards through a deeper current. So this form like a loop which transports, since many years, heat through the atmosphere.

BRUNHUBER: Okay. So when people have been studying this, I mean, scientists have been getting totally different answers from their climate models on the effect. So what did your team do to kind of narrow down the results and why are they different?

PORTMANN: So for your question, just your last question, this current system is affected by the temperature because the density will drive the circulation. So the temperature and the salinity are two main components. And as global, as there is a global warming and there is sea ice melting, this decreasing the density and the ability of the water to flow down.

And about climate models, the climate models are very various in the world in terms of the quantification of how much this circulation is going to slow down. So to make a more precise estimation, we combine these climate models that are various with real world observation of sea surface temperature, sea surface salinity, and even the past observed Atlantic current system. And by making a huge combination of data, we refine this estimation to

obtain a stronger decline estimate. So the first estimate was almost one third decline by the end of the century and we found it 50 percent decline by the end of the century. So it will have huge differences.

BRUNHUBER: Okay. So obviously, yes, that's a huge difference, 30 percent, 50 percent by the end of the century.

[03:20:03]

But the key question here, what does that actually mean for people's daily lives? How will this actually affect us if it does slow down?

PORTMANN: This ocean circulation really regulates and redistributes the heat in the planet. So it has a huge impact, notably on the monsoon, on where the rain falls on Earth.

And, for example, the West Africa region is really affected by the monsoon. And if the circulation is really going to decline a lot, there will be less rain. And so a real pressure on the agriculture and a risk of major concern for food security in this part of the world.

This will also impact the sea level rise, for example, in the USA, in the East Coast. And as the circulation regulates temperature, this will get a season contrast, less stable with a colder winter, notably in Western Europe, and a warmer summer.

BRUNHUBER: So it sounds like all of the problems of climate change that we've been fearing in terms of the planet getting hotter, less rain, sea level rise, I mean, all of these things will essentially be exacerbated by this. And I understand your study didn't even count the meltwater coming off Greenland. I mean, does that mean that the reality is actually much worse than what you're saying here?

PORTMANN: Yes, we don't really know about it. Some climate models try to incorporate this type of data.

But yes, climate models are not perfect, and they can neglect some effects. And yeah, you're right. Greenland melting is not really considered in a lot of climate models currently.

So this is an improving science domain, which I look forward to in the next few years.

BRUNHUBER: I know that the one leading climate scientist who studied this said that, you know, he's worried we could pass the point of no return by the middle of this century. And certainly, this just adds fuel to the fire of those who were saying, listen, we need to act on this before it's too late.

I appreciate your expertise on this, Valentin Portmann, in Strasbourg, France. Thank you so much for speaking with us.

PORTMANN: Thank you very much.

BRUNHUBER: Europe is taking steps to protect young people online. The European Commission has announced a new age verification app that will give users a digital I.D. card to prove their age without sharing personal data. CNN's Clare Duffy has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: This is a huge move by Europe to make this a more centralized, practical way for tech platforms across the internet to verify users' ages. This, of course, is coming amid this global push to get tech platforms, and in particular social media sites, to do more to protect young users.

And much of that call has been for these tech platforms to verify users' ages so that they can either provide a safer experience for teens and kids, or they can keep the youngest users off of those platforms entirely. Australia in December passed a world-first law banning young people under the age of 16 from accessing social media.

In the wake of that, we are seeing a number of other countries, including many in Europe, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, saying that they plan to introduce similar rules. But we've heard from the tech companies practical concerns about how to do age verification, worries about privacy in terms of having to collect sensitive information and documents from users to verify their ages. Some of these tech platforms have started using A.I. to do this, but there are some questions about accuracy there.

So Europe has essentially said, look, we are going to handle this. European Commission announcing the launch of this new age verification app, where users in the European Union will be able to download this app, provide a passport or I.D. to verify their age, and then essentially they'll get a digital I.D.

And any time they are going to a social media platform or other tech site that needs to verify their age, it will query the app, and the app will essentially tell that site whether the user is above or below a certain age threshold.

So 18 or 16, depending on the rules. But it won't share their personal data with that third-party site. So it won't share their actual birth date or address other personal information.

And so Europe is really billing this as a privacy-protective solution. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is saying now there is no excuse for tech platforms not to verify users' ages. And I do expect that we will see other regions of the world, other countries moving very quickly to adopt a model like this.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Well, Americans are feeling the pain at the pump, but President Trump says it's not as bad as you think. We'll explain just ahead here on "CNN Newsroom." Stay with us.

[03:25:07] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back. Here are some of today's business headlines.

Gas prices here in the U.S. are gradually inching lower. According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded is $4.09. President Trump says that's not very high, considering he says he's eliminated the nuclear threat from Iran.

[03:30:09]

For the first time since 2019, both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have resumed dealings with Venezuela. Both organizations said they are willing to resume relations with Venezuela under the leadership of its interim President, Jose Rodriguez, as could potentially unlock billions of dollars in funding for the South American country. President Rodriguez credited U.S. President Donald Trump for helping normalize relations with the IMF.

Netflix says its co-founder and executive chairman will step down when his term expires in June. Reed Hastings' exit comes less than two months after the company dropped out of bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN. Netflix co-CEO pushed back on rumors that Hastings' departure was linked to that decision, the company says Hastings will, quote, "focus on his philanthropy and other pursuits."

Well, iron ore is one of the world's most essential minerals as it's a key ingredient in the production of steel. In Kenya, the Devki Group has become a dominant force in the sector, supplying around 50 percent of the country's steel demand. Now, the company is looking beyond its borders, expanding into neighboring Uganda, home to vast iron ore reserves.

CNN's Victoria Rubadiri has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VICTORIA RUBADIRI, "CONNECTING AFRICA" HOST: This hot, bubbling iron ore is in the midst of being transformed into strong, durable steel. The material is seen as the backbone of construction due to its strength and versatility. Devki Group says it supplies more than 50 percent of Kenya's steel needs from factories across the country, including here in Samburu, near Mombasa on the country's east coast.

MOHAN TRIPATHI, PLANT HEAD, DEVKI MILLS LIMITED SAMBURU PLANT: We produce 50,000 tons per month, all together, billets, wire rods and TMTs.

RUBADIRI (voice-over): The plant manager says its raw materials are typically sourced from South Africa or India. To make the steel, the iron ore is heated to remove oxygen and impurities, then melted with scrap iron before being molded into its final product.

RUBADIRI: So these are high reinforcement steel bars behind me, getting ready to be transported to various plants across the country, mostly construction. They are the more popular products made here at the steel plant that actually meets 50 percent of Kenya's steel demand alone.

RUBADIRI (voice-over): The company says it operates 19 factories across Kenya to keep up with the growing steel demand.

Demand that is pushing the Devki Group to also expand elsewhere. It's investing more than half a billion dollars to build a new steel processing plant in Tororo, Uganda.

SRIKANT SWAMINATHAN, GENERAL MANAGER, DEVKI GROUP OF COMPANIES, UGANDA: The land development is completed. The civil foundation and related civil works are going on.

RUBADIRI (voice-over): Devki's goal is to tap into the high-grade purity of Uganda's iron ore.

SWAMINATHAN: What makes the iron ore in Uganda special is the Fe ratio is above 62, which makes it high quality. And then the reducibility factor is also low of the iron ore. Hence it is very much sought after.

RUBADIRI (voice-over): The company says it expects the plant to be commercially operational by late 2027. Once up and running, it will begin exporting steel products across East Africa. And it could drastically reduce the country's trade deficit when it comes to iron and steel.

As of 2024, Uganda was importing more than $600 million worth of iron and steel, while exporting less than $200 million.

SWAMINATHAN: Devki is planning to export annually 500 million USD worth of steel products.

What is going to be the net economic effect? The deficit is straight away coming down.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back, I'm Kim Brunhuber. Let's check some of today's top stories.

We're keeping a close watch on the tentative new ceasefire in Lebanon. Residents there are celebrating a 10-day pause in the fighting with Israel. Hezbollah says it will abide by the agreement as long as Israel stops its attacks, Israel says it won't withdraw its forces from the country.

President Trump says the next round of U.S. talks with Iran could happen this weekend. In Las Vegas on Thursday, he said the war was going swimmingly and should be ending soon. Iran hasn't confirmed the President that it's agreed not to have a nuclear weapon.

Britain and France are planning a meeting to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Around 40 countries will take place virtually today. A statement from the British Prime Minister's office says the mission would be strictly defensive and begin as soon as conditions allow.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

Cuba's President addresses crowds in Havana as the U.N. nation remembers the Bay of Pigs invasion. Thursday marked 65 years since the start of the failed U.S.-backed attempt to oust then-leader Fidel Castro.

[03:40:05]

This year's commemorations come at a time of renewed tension with the U.S. CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more from Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the middle of one of the worst economic crises in Cuban history, increasing scarcity, they're putting on a show of public support for the Cuban government.

This is the 65th anniversary of the beginning of the U.S.'s Bay of Pigs failed invasion of Cuba. Also when Fidel Castro for the first time declared that his revolution was socialist, setting up for the alliance that he had for decades with the Soviet Union.

So this is an incredibly symbolic moment for the Cuban government at an incredibly precarious time because of course there is an oil blockade of this island that has been going on for months with the exception of one Russian ship that has come in. The government feels increasingly the Trump administration's push for them to open up economically and politically could lead to an invasion. We've heard President Donald Trump say that Cuba could be next, that U.S. forces could attack this island.

So people are very much on edge right now and the government wants to show that they are not bending, that they are not backing down, that while they're willing to talk to the United States, they are not willing to make major concessions, not willing to change the leadership of this island. So as each day goes by you feel more and more tension and also amongst government supporters more resistance to new U.S. threats to this island.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: While the crew of the Artemis II mission has given their first news conference and interview since returning to Earth, fresh off their historic slingshot around the moon's far side, the astronauts reflected on how the mission was able to unite people during a time of increased division. Speaking to CNN's Erin Burnett, NASA astronaut Christina Koch explains how seeing Earth from space gave her a new appreciation for our planet. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINA KOCH, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: I think the thing I see the most out the window is planet Earth. We saw it in so many different phases, we saw it in different sizes, we were close in proximity. We used its gravity to propel ourselves along with our translunar injection burn to the moon.

We saw it as a crescent as it set behind the moon and rose behind the moon and the idea that every human experience that we've invented, that we've gone through, that means something to us as people. Everything that keeps us alive that's the same is all in that small orb that's hanging like a lifeboat in so much blackness and the unifying power of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Their mission was a new record for traveling the farthest into space.

All right, thanks so much for joining us. I'm Kim Brunhuber. "World Sport" is next, followed by "Amanpour."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)