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Iran Closes Strait Of Hormuz After President Trump Announces U.S. Will Maintain Its Blockade On Iranian Ports; President Trump Says Talks Still Ongoing With Iran To End Current Conflict; President Trump Says Iran Must Turn Over Enriched Uranium For Conflict To End; Tornadoes Hit Central U.S. States; ICE Agents Detaining Migrants without Criminal Records Near Immigration Courts; Los Angeles Authorities Arrest Singer In Connection With Death Of 14-Year-Old Girl; Podcaster Joe Rogan Meets With President Trump At Oval Office To Support President's Executive Order Authorizing Psychedelic Drug Treatment for PTSD; National Basketball Association Playoffs Commence. Aired 2-3p ET.

Aired April 18, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:34]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Closed again. Iran says it has resumed control of the Strait of Hormuz, with reports of two merchant ships coming under fire from Iranian forces. President Trump says talks are still underway and he remains optimistic a peace deal could be reached within days.

Also today, the White House is issuing a new executive order aimed at speeding up access to psychedelic drug treatments. We'll look at what the order is designed to achieve and how podcaster Joe Rogan was involved in this new directive.

Plus, a destructive tornado outbreak slams the central U.S. with some communities left in ruins, and dramatic rescues are underway. We'll show you some of the hardest hit areas and where these storms are headed next.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.

WHITFIELD: Hello, everyone, and thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with this breaking news. Iranian gunboats firing on a tanker this morning as it attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and a second vessel reporting it was hit by a projectile. Iran's military saying today it was reimposing restrictions on the strait due to, quoting now, "repeated breaches of trust," end quote, by the U.S. However, speaking in the Oval Office to reporters this morning, President Trump said the U.S. is continuing to talk to Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: We have very good conversations going on. It's, it's working out very well. They got a little cute, as they have been doing for 47 years. They wanted to close up the strait again, you know, as they've been doing for years. And they can't blackmail us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Nic Robertson is in Pakistan, where the U.S. and Iranian delegations are set to arrive this weekend ahead of a scheduled peace talks for Monday. So, Nic, what more can you tell us about reports that Iran has fired on ships in the strait?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, I think we're kind of looking at talks early this week and not precisely clear when the delegations will arrive, but that anticipation that talks are still on track, that really got into bumpy waters literally earlier on today, number one, because Iran said that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz after opening it yesterday and then getting angry that President Trump had said that the U.S. would maintain its blockade. The Iranians said that was a violation of the ceasefire, and then they followed through by closing it.

And then within a couple of hours of that, a tanker about 20 miles northeast of Oman, which would put it in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz, reported two IRGC gunboats approaching it. And the captain of the tanker trying to communicate with them by radio. He said there was no communication, and then the gunboats just started opening fire on the tanker. The crew and the ship are safe.

But then within a couple of hours of that in the same area, a container ship, one of those large tanker-size ships covered with containers, that was hit by what's been described as an unknown projectile. But this projectile damaging some of the containers. We're told there was no fire, no environmental damage. But it certainly appears as if Iran was trying to put the chills on traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz, and that's exactly what has happened there.

It really is tough to see at the moment in this sort of current climate at the end of the day, how those talks could progress. However, it does seem that that behind-the-scenes diplomacy is still going on, and we're not hearing that the talks are off. So I think the assumption at this moment is they could still be moving ahead.

And look, the Iranians in the past couple of days, the foreign minister there, by the way, has taken a lot of heat in his own country for being too soft, has said we're sort of inches away from the deal. Of course, President Trump, as you heard there, feels it's close. The Pakistanis, who are interlocutors, are saying 80 percent of the deal is done. So I think there's this real sense that it's close. But is this just choppy waters that we're in today, or is this really going to run aground, any hope of moving the ceasefire talks and the peace deal forward?

WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, and hopefully, as you said, the potential for those talks is still there. Nic Robertson in Pakistan, thank you so much. [14:05:04]

All right, I want to go now to CNNs' Julia Benbrook at the White House. So what is the president saying about ongoing negotiations with Iran?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he is not saying much at this moment. He actually had an event where he spoke with reporters just a few hours ago, but it was focused on an entirely different subject. It was for research and expediting the process of FDA approval for certain psychedelics.

And he made it clear, as reporters were shouting questions, that he only wanted to address that subject, that he did not want to dive in deep when it came to the ongoing conflict in Iran. And obviously, there are a lot of questions about what's next there.

We have here at the White House in recent hours seen some indications that there could be some high-level discussions going on at this point as some officials have been spotted arriving, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. We also saw Vice President J.D. Vance's motorcade here as well.

But when Trump was speaking at this event, he took a moment before those questions as he discouraged reporters from asking about Iran to say that there are good conversations that are ongoing, and he expects to have more information to share throughout the day. Take a listen to some of those remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: We have very good conversations going on. It's, it's working out very well. They got a little cute, as they have been doing for 47 years. Nobody ever took them on. We took them on. They have no navy. They have no air force. They have no leaders. They have no nothing. Actually, their leaders are -- it is regime change. You call that enforced regime change. But we're talking to them. They wanted to close up the strait again, you know, as they've been doing for years. And they can't blackmail us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: It's been about a week now since Vance, as well as special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were in Pakistan for talks. And as Vance announced that they were leaving those talks without an agreement, he did say that that was the best and final offer from the United States.

Now, Iranian sources have told CNN that there will likely be another round of talks taking place on Monday. That has not been confirmed by the United States at this point, but there are likely still sticking points that need to be worked through here. And some to keep an eye out for are addressing the fate of Iran's uranium enrichment program, suspending Iran's uranium -- I'm sorry, the fate of Iran's uranium stockpiles, suspending Iran's uranium enrichment program, and then, of course, the Strait of Hormuz, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which we've been talking about for a while now.

There's also the fragile ceasefire that we are in right now, that pause in fighting. And as Trump was speaking with reporters yesterday, I mean, he's been optimistic about next steps, saying that he does think that they're close to a deal. But he was asked if he would extend that ceasefire if a deal is not met. And he said, quote, "Maybe I won't."

So all of this indicating that while the administration is saying that they are hopeful about next steps, there are still a lot of questions about how this plays out in the coming days, even the coming hours here, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, indeed. All right, Julia Benbrook at the White House, thanks so much.

All right, for more now, were joined by retired Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, a distinguished military fellow at the Middle East Institute and former commander of the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet. Thank you so much, vice admiral, for being with us.

VICE ADMIRAL KEVIN DONEGAN, (RET) FORMER COMMANDER OF THE U.S. NAVY FIFTH FLEET: It's good to be with you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: I do want to ask you about that uranium stockpiles in a minute. But first, if I could get your kind of reaction or guidance on Iran now reimposing restrictions on the shipping through the Strait of Hormuz there. We're hearing that maybe two vessels also may have been hit or impacted in some way. Does this scenario now, less than 24 hours after what was supposed to be, you know, an agreement to keep things open and flowing again, does this position the U.S. military in a way that it can react or make adjustments or reimpose the U.S.'s blockade as a result of this activity now?

DONEGAN: Well, Fredricka, I think what we're seeing is what we would expect here with another round of negotiations about to happen, both sides trying to use the leverage that they have. And for the Iranians, of course, it's them saying they have control of the Straits of Hormuz. And so what's happened is they first said that all ships could flow, and we saw about 30 ships then take advantage of that and move out of out of the gulf. And some of them were tankers and some of them were container ships. And one cruise ship actually went through.

And then when they saw that the us didn't then remove their blockade of Iranian ports, they said, oh, now it's closed again.

[14:10:03]

And so -- and that's when you saw this attack that you just described on these two ships. So I don't see -- and the U.S. has been very clear that they're not going to stop the blockade on the Iranian ports, regardless of what the Iranians do. And I think that now, you know, both sides have the leverages and they're posturing with those leverages. The U.S. that, hey, we can always go back to strikes, and we have a blockade, and the Iranians saying, you know, we control the Straits of Hormuz and, you know, and we still have, you know, uranium here.

WHITFIELD: OK. I want to also now turn to that uranium stockpile idea and the president, you know, saying that one way or another the U.S. will secure Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile. I mean, what he calls, I'm quoting him now, "uranium dust." So lets listen to what the president said exactly about that

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you say that Iran has agreed to turn over their nuclear dust, does that mean are they destroying their nuclear material?

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're turning it over. Can you walk us through what that process looks like, sir?

TRUMP: We're taking it. We're taking it. Very simple, we're taking it. Yes. With Iran. We're going in with Iran.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does that mean U.S. boots on the ground?

TRUMP: We will have it. I don't call it boots on the ground. We'll take it after the agreement is signed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Hard to hear for some, he says we're taking it. So what would this mean? How would the U.S. go about obtaining the uranium? Iranians have said it's in rubble, and other remnants may be in storage facilities, but again, under rubble. So how would the U.S. go about trying to retrieve it?

DONEGAN: Right. So what you have is 440 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium. And the importance of that is that it doesn't take much time back in a centrifuge again to get that up to what you need to make weapons grade, to make weapons, nuclear weapons. So, it is right now what I would call buried and being continuously watched. That's probably the best way to describe it. So because of the strikes on Fordow and the strikes on several of the other sites, that uranium has been basically put under rubble, and as the U.S., as you would expect, and Israel are closely watching this. So if the Iranians make some attempt to go in there, I think you'd see them do something. So that leaves you --

WHITFIELD: Do you think that would be wise to try to, for the U.S. to try to get in there and retrieve it? And how would it do it?

DONEGAN: I don't think -- yes, I don't think that there's been lots of talk about some missions that you could do to go in there and get that. The operation would be very complex and require way too many forces on the ground, and likely not necessary if you're if you are in negotiations, because the idea would really be the negotiations would get to a point where, in the end, there's some approach to getting at that uranium and having it removed under the watchful eye of the International Atomic Energy Agency and potentially other nation states, like European nation states watching to make sure that the Iranians don't, you know, move off with something if that were to happen. So I look at this as not something you have to get at right now because it is buried and under continuous watch, but it has to get resolved in some way. And hopefully that's at the negotiating table.

WHITFIELD: All right, Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, great to see you. Thank you so much.

DONEGAN: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, devastating damage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Weve got houses down. This is massive. Weve got vehicles. We got vehicles here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Neighborhoods leveled after a massive tornado outbreak ripped through the Midwest. We're tracking where the threat is headed.

Plus, behind bars, a 21-year-old singer known as David arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the death of this 14-year-old girl. It comes months after the gruesome discovery of her remains in the trunk of the singer's car.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:18:43]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, oh. Oh my God, debris raining out of the sky.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I mean, happening right before their eyes. And now cleanup is underway across several states after severe storms and tornadoes plowed through the central U.S. The destructive system hit more than 50 million people with major damage in Missouri, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. At least two dozen tornadoes and over 120 reports of hail were recorded over the last 24 hours. Thankfully, no deaths or serious injuries have been confirmed so far. One 89-year-old woman says she was lucky to walk away from the debris without a scratch

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard on the TV and I thought, I better go to the basement. And I didn't get to the basement, and I heard this roar and I dropped to my knees at the end of my kitchen counter. Everything was around me, and in the house there was glass all over everything. All I could see was a mess.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Incredible. Stormy conditions also led to two ground stops earlier today at Dallas-Fort Worth and LaGuardia airports.

All right, the threat of severe weather is not over as more storms are expected in the Ohio Valley and central Texas.

[14:20:05]

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar has a look at the latest forecast. Allison, what are you seeing?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: More than 300 storm reports total just the last 24 hours. And you can see all of those dots here representing both tornado reports as well as damaging winds and even some hail reports, some of which got all the way up to tennis ball size.

Now, we have two separate areas were watching for the potential for severe storms today. You can see we have this area down south across portions of central Texas, and a little bit higher impact area across areas in the northeast and Ohio valley. So this will include portions of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia.

The main concern here is really going to be damaging winds, but we can't rule out the potential for an isolated tornado or even some hail along with those storms. They're going to continue this afternoon and into the evening you can see, as that whole line right there along that cold front continues to slide off to the east.

Even through the evening and the overnight hours, while the threat does start to diminish after the sun goes down, we still have some stronger thunderstorms that will be embedded within that line. One thing to note, though, is the cooler temperatures behind that cold front, that means overnight, when those temperatures drop back down, yes, we could even see a changeover mix into some snow for areas right there along the Great Lakes. Now, we're not expecting much in the way of accumulation for these areas, but do note that the temperatures will drop, changing that back over. And some of that could even linger into early Sunday.

And here is a very clear show of how that temperature variant is going to be. All of that warm air out ahead of the cold front and the cold air behind it. And really, it's the clash of that warm and cold air that's what's fueling a lot of these severe thunderstorms.

But take a look at this. High temperature today in Raleigh, 91 degrees. Paducah, only 59. Even a place like Memphis say that high of 70 has actually already occurred. The temperatures now are just going to continue to drop for the remainder of the day.

WHITFIELD: All right, very good. Thank you so much, Allison Chinchar.

All right, coming up, a dramatic shift in federal immigration enforcement. Attorneys say more people are being detained right inside courtrooms, often without the chance to ask for bond. New reporting on what led to the shift and how rights groups are responding, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:26:46]

WHITFIELD: All right, under the Trump administration, videos going viral showing ICE agents detaining migrants near immigration courts. Federal immigration agents are showing up in places they generally avoided in the past and making arrests, in some cases creating chaotic situations, just like right there. But advocates say a bigger dramatic shift is happening off camera and inside the courtrooms.

CNN correspondent Rafael Romo is joining me right now with details on all of this. So you spoke with some immigration advocates and attorneys. And what are they saying about all this?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: That there is a huge change that a lot of people haven't really seen because it's happening inside the courtroom, and of course, away from the cameras. And we've all seen the viral videos, Fred, showing ICE agents arresting people in and around immigration courthouses. But immigration advocates say they're even more concerned about what's happening inside the courtroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have a warrant for his arrest?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Grab him.

ROMO: Eyes in courthouses.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back up.

ROMO: Under the Trump administration, federal immigration agents have gone to places they generally have avoided in the past, conducting chaotic arrests, also impacting American citizens during a nationwide immigration crackdown.

URVAL PATEL, VOLUNTEER, DETENTION RESISTANCE: They are showing up to their court dates. They're getting future court dates because they're meeting the requirements set by the law in this country.

ROMO: The practice of arresting people at immigration courts is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit brought against the Trump administration by civil rights groups last year. And according to that ongoing lawsuit, the Justice Department recently admitted to a federal judge it's been incorrectly relying on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo to justify arrests at immigration courts. CNN has reached out to DHS for comment.

But immigration advocates say what these viral videos don't show is a tectonic shift in the asylum policy.

LAUREN WAITS, COURT WATCH VOLUNTEER, GEORGIA ASYLUM AND IMMIGRATION NETWORK: The major difference is that nobody's getting bond anymore.

ROMO: Several times a week, Lauren Waits sits in her kitchen and watches immigration court proceedings through a virtual feed.

WAITS: The dramatic change has been for people where there's no criminal history whatsoever. Those folks prior to this administration had access to bond. Now, the way I see it, we're all paying with our tax dollars to keep them in these detention facilities for no good purpose.

ADRIANA HEFFLEY, LEGAL SERVICES DIRECTOR, GEORGIA ASYLUM AND IMMIGRATION NETWORK: What changed is that in around July of 2025, ice began to take the very new position that the majority of immigrants in immigrant detention are not eligible to even ask a judge for bond.

ROMO: Immigration attorney Adriana Heffley, the director of legal services at the Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network, leads the Court Watch program, a network of over 100 volunteers who document immigration court hearings.

Observers with court watch program say in the past, it was very likely for people living in the country with no legal documents to get bond if they didn't have a criminal record. But there has been a noticeable change during the current administration.

[14:30:00]

HEFFLEY: Its a drastically different interpretation of existing law that has been commonly understood by everyone practicing in immigration law for decades.

ROMO: An immigration and customs enforcement memo from July posted online by the Immigration Policy Tracking Project says in part that effective immediately, it is the position of DHS that such aliens are subject to detention and may not be released from ICE custody except by parole.

Immigration court observers also say that starting in early March, they have noticed they are being blocked from accessing immigration courtroom hearings, which are supposed to be public.

Observers say they are being asked if they're attorneys or relatives of the immigrant whose case is being heard, and blocked when they identified themselves as observers, a potential violation of due process.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ROMO (on camera): And we reached out to the Department of Homeland Security with questions about this new interpretation of the law and were referred to the Department of Justice. We are still waiting for a reply from DOJ.

But again, Fred, it's been very different from anything that you had seen before. Yes, if somebody commits a crime, they are almost immediately eligible for deportation. But people with a clean record are them being in the country out of status would normally, in the past, gave them access to at least bond.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, keep us posted if things do change or there are any modifications. Rafael Romo appreciate it.

All right, up next, a singer arrested in connection with the death of a 14-year-old girl whose body was found dismembered in his car last year. No charges have been filed. So what is next?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:36:16]

WHITFIELD: All right, investigators in Los Angeles say they have arrested a rising star singer in connection with the death of a young girl who disappeared two years ago. CNN's Josh Campbell explains authorities are now weighing charges in the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: A significant development in the ongoing investigation into the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Now, I'll warn our viewers that the details of her discovery are extremely disturbing. The Los Angeles Police Department says tactical officers from its robbery-homicide division, as well as the U.S. Marshals, on Thursday arrested the popular singer D4vd on suspicion of her murder.

The decomposed body of Rivas Hernandez was found last year in an abandoned Tesla that was towed from a location in the Hollywood Hills here in Los Angeles. That vehicle was registered to the singer. As the Associated Press reported, investigators searching the Tesla in a tow yard found a cadaver bag, unzipped it, and discovered a decomposed head as well as a torso.

Now, according to court documents, the L.A. County medical examiner determined that her arms and legs had been severed. A second black bag was found in the vehicle containing other dismembered parts. A cause of death has not yet been publicly announced.

Now, D4vd's defense team is vehemently denying their client's involvement. They say in a statement, "Let us be clear. The actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez, and he was not the cause of her death. There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed." They say, "David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David's innocence."

As far as what happens next, he will remain in police custody for the time being without bail. Authorities say that they will present the case to the L.A. County District Attorney's office on Monday.

Josh Campbell, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's get more now on these developments. With us now is attorney and CNN legal affairs commentator Areva Martin. Areva, great to see you. So can you help us understand, what does it mean to be arrested on suspicion of murder? AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. Fred, this is very serious. As

we just heard from Josh, this is a very tragic case. A young girl's body found decomposed in a car, apparently had been there for some time. So, D4vd the singer has been detained without bail by the Los Angeles Police Department. And 48 hours is the time frame that the district attorney has to either file a complaint or he will be released come Monday. He was arrested on Thursday. Saturday and Sunday don't count, so the deadline is up on Monday. So either there's going to be an indictment from a grand jury or a criminal complaint filed by the district attorney.

If neither happens by Monday, he will be released. Now, that doesn't mean he's out of jeopardy. It doesn't mean he can't be re-arrested if new evidence is found or if the grand jury continues to meet and determines that an indictment is warranted, that there is probable cause. So this is a case that we'll learn a lot about on Monday.

WHITFIELD: So is this generally the sequence of events that usually occur with a case like this? And I know investigation is the same, but we're talking about such a lapse of time between the decomposing body parts found in the car that's registered to this singer, and then police would arrest him. But then there aren't any charges. It's almost like the police department is also putting the district attorney's office in a position, challenging it, if you will, to, under this deadline, come up with the charges. Is this the way it usually goes?

MARTIN: This definitely is one way in which individuals are charged in the criminal justice system.

[14:40:00]

But more often than not, there has already been a determination to charge someone by the district attorney, or there's already been an indictment issued by a grand jury. And typically the grand jury indictment is issued, and then there is an arrest. Clearly, under the law, under California law, you can be detained for 48 hours while the district attorney makes a determination.

But evidence in this case, Fred, is going to be very difficult. This body is decomposed. It's going to be very difficult for a coroner to make any determination about the cause of death. We don't know what other evidence the police has. There's some rumors, or I'll say there's some reports online about video evidence, potential online communication between D4vd and Celeste dating back even to 2022, a statement made by Celeste's mom that she had a boyfriend by the name of David. Maybe even some evidence about photographs of David picking Celeste up some months ago. But still, the clear evidence in this case has not been released by police, and we're just getting what's being reported in the media at this point.

WHITFIELD: Right. And in fact, I think we have a part of a music video by David, which was actually uploaded on Celeste Rivas Hernandez's birthday. Let's take a look at this and see, you know, what you glean from this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the back of my mind, I killed you. And I didn't even regret it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That's kind of odd. But what can you extrapolate from this, if anything?

MARTIN: Well, we know that many states, including California, have statutes that do allow certain kinds of lyrics by artists to be introduced in cases such as this. But in California, unlike some of those other states, the bar is really high. The prosecution has to establish that this evidence, the evidence of lyrics, has some probative value, that the song provides information that's not available to the public, that there's some nexus between the lyrics and the crime that's been charged.

So not clear in this case that that song or the uploading of that song is going to be a substantial part of the evidence that the prosecution is looking at in making a determination about whether to charge D4vd or not. But we have seen other cases around the country where lyrics have been a point of controversy.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right, Areva Martin, always great to have you. Thank you so much.

MARTIN: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, podcaster Joe Rogan and President Trump swapping compliments in the Oval Office today after Rogan had this to say about the war with Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE ROGAN, HOST, "THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE": Anytime you're involved with, you're shooting missiles into towns and blowing things up, blowing up infrastructure, blowing up bridges, you know, and Israel's blowing up Lebanon now. Its like, what the --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So what exactly is going on between these two men, Rogan and the president? We'll discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:47:36]

WHITFIELD: All right, today, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at encouraging expanded research into the psychedelic drug ibogaine. It's part of the administration's broader push to explore emerging mental health treatments. He signed the order with podcaster Joe Rogan standing right behind him. Rogan's White House appearance comes just days after he criticized the president and the war in Iran during an episode of his popular podcast. The president went out of his way to credit Rogan for texting him about the benefits of the psychedelics, as well as the impact his appearance on his popular podcast had had on his reelection.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: Joe Rogan is a fantastic person. We did a little interview before the election. We had over 300 million people. And I said, oh man, I hope Kamala doesn't do it. And she didn't. He wanted her to do it, but she didn't. Someday, Joe's going to explain why.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, joining me right now to talk more about this is Brian Stelter, CNN's chief media analyst. Brian, a lot of love, you know, being conveyed there to Joe Rogan by the president. What do you think is behind this appearance, besides the encouraging of this psychedelic drug?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is really interest.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

STELTER: It is really striking to see Rogan there doing that photo-op with the president, given how Rogan has talked recently about his beliefs about the war in Iran. Rogan has been outspoken against the war. He's been sharply critical of the administration's handling of the war. Here's just one example. Here's one of the clips of Rogan criticizing the war in Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE ROGAN, HOST, "THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE": Anytime you're involved with, you're shooting missiles into towns and blowing things up, blowing up infrastructure, blowing up bridges, you know, and Israel is blowing up Lebanon now. It's like, what the -- are we doing? Like, how is this still going on?

Most people that voted for Trump are wanted Trump to be in office, one of the things that was attractive was this no more wars.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure, of course.

ROGAN: And now we're in one of the craziest ones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STELTER: Right there, that's the kind of criticism we've heard from Rogan. And it's striking because Trump has heard similar criticism from other prominent podcasters like Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson. And Rogan, you know, has been talking the same way they have.

Trump has tried to excommunicate other podcasters from the MAGA coalition.

[14:50:02]

He has attacked Tucker Carlson, attacked Megyn Kelly, but he has not attacked Rogan. Instead, there they were together today. So here's some of what Rogan and Trump said in the Oval Office to give us context for why this relationship matters so much.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE ROGAN, HOST, "THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE": I sent him that information. The text message came back, "Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let's do it."

These drugs are illegal not because they're harmful. They're illegal because of the 1970 controlled substances act that was passed by the Richard Nixon administration. They did it to target the civil rights movement and the antiwar movement.

TRUMP: We all respect Joe. And he's a little bit more liberal than -- that's OK.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STELTER: Interesting there, right. Trump says he's a little more liberal than me, but I like him anyway. I think all this speaks to Joe Rogan's unique power and his unique platform. He's not as clearly, obviously always political as the other podcasters I mentioned earlier. He's more entertaining. He appeals to a broader audience.

Yesterday, I was speaking at a journalism conference at Ole Miss, and the researchers there commissioned a study into who Americans trust in the media. And of all the names, of all the news influencers, Rogan's name was number one. It really speaks to his unique power. And maybe President Trump feels it's best to keep Rogan close rather than cast him away.

And it's also a reminder that people who endorsed Trump and are now critical of him, they often find a way back to Trump. So yes, Rogan is critical of the war in Iran, but he has other reasons to defend and support Trump and even show up for an Oval Office photo-op. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Yes, very fascinating, and rather unexpected that it happened today. But then, as you explain it, it makes a whole lot of sense. All right, Brian Stelter, thank you so much.

All right, Eva Longoria, well, she's back, and this time in France. Join Eva as she explores the country's rich history and celebrates the cuisine in the CNN original series, "Eva Longoria Searching for France." Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ratatouille was done with the vegetables from the home garden, you know, so very humble dish.

EVA LONGORIA: It smells like herbes de Provence with garlic. But I love how you've given each vegetable its own time to join the party.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, exactly. That's the key. The good balance.

LONGORIA: Yes, the balance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a question of balance.

LONGORIA: The balance.

Helen (ph) may be keen to cook me a simple Provencal country dish, but she could never just throw this into a bowl with a hunk of bread.

Oh, my.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at that.

LONGORIA: This is gorgeous. Look at these.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are so beautiful.

LONGORIA: Helen (ph) is using fresh zucchini flowers.

Why not all the way to the top? And then?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then you closed. That's it. And we will cut them a little bit in the oven, and that's done. Sometimes it's better to cook with instinct than with technique.

LONGORIA: Why do you think there's so much technique in French cuisine? I mean, it's associated with technique.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because they are done by men.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And men, they always want to demonstrate something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:58:13]

WHITFIELD: All right, here we go. The NBA playoffs now set after the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic grabbed the final two spots in last night's play in games. Tip off for the first round of games gets underway actually today. And CNN's Patrick Snell is with us to bring us up to speed on all this. Lots of excitement.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Fred, the play-ins are over. The playoffs are now underway. And this hour, round one, game one action, seeing the Toronto Raptors

traveling to Cleveland to face the cavaliers, this one in progress. The Cavaliers with a commanding lead at this point in the third quarter. Both these teams, by the way, looking to become NBA champs for a second time in their history.

Now let's get to Friday night because there was plenty of action. We can tell you, though, Steph Curry fans, Curry will not be in the playoffs this year. The Warriors losing to the Suns on Friday night. It was a quiet night overall for Curry in this one, I will say, a frustrating one for him as well at times. He did score, well, just 17 points, making four of his 16 shots. There's the frustration.

Not a quiet game, I will say, for Suns guard Jalen Green, though. He caught fire in the third quarter. Green making eight threes in this one, finishing with a game high 36 points.

Then some tensions near the end. Devin Booker and Draymond Green were having a bit of a confrontation there. Both would end up getting ejected. Green motioning to the crowd there as he's leaving the court, far from happy.

The Suns now move on to face the Thunder. Season over for the Warriors. Their head coach Steve Kerr with something interesting after the game. He said that after four titles in 12 years, his time with the team may have come to an end.

WHITFIELD: What?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE KERR, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS HEAD COACH: I don't know what's going to happen. I still love coaching, but I get it. These jobs all have an expiration date. There's a run that happens. And when the run ends, sometimes it's time for new blood and new ideas and all that.