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Traffic Halts In Strait Of Hormuz As New Round of Iran-U.S. Talks Has Yet To Happen; Police: Eight Children Killed, Two Others Wounded In Louisiana Mass Shooting; Swalwell's Exit Resets Race For Governor In California. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired April 19, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Tornado touchdown in Wisconsin's Marathon County. The agency also confirmed a strong EF-2 tearing a path through Olena, Illinois. Thousands of customers lost power there. Officials say there are no fatalities or serious injuries to report.

Customers in parts of Minnesota started their weekends without power after severe weather swept through late Friday. CNN affiliate KARE reports that at least three tornados were observed in the southeastern part of the state.

[15:00:34]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I am Fredricka Whitfield. We are following the latest as the U.S. prepares for a second round of peace talks with Iran.

Vice President J.D. Vance and top White House officials are preparing to travel to Pakistan, where crucial talks with Iranian officials are expected this week. So far, no official confirmation, however, from Iran that it will take part in the planned negotiations.

But with a fragile ceasefire set to lapse on Wednesday, President Trump is continuing to increase pressure on Iran, threatening once again to resume military strikes if negotiators can't reach a deal.

A likely sticking point in those talks, the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway responsible for a fifth of the world's oil and energy supplies, remains closed today in an escalating standoff between the U.S. and Iran.

Our reporters are covering every angle. CNN correspondent, Julia Benbrook is at The White House and CNN international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson is in Islamabad, Pakistan.

So, Julia, at The White House, let's go to you first. What else is Trump saying about this new round of talks and his hopes?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the exact quote from President Donald Trump this morning was "no more Mr. Nice guy." That's how he is framing his approach to Iran as this next round of talks is expected to take place in the coming days.

Now, Trump says that he believes the United States is offering a very fair and reasonable deal to the Iranians, but at the same time issuing a stark warning saying that if they reject it, he would essentially do what he needs to do.

I want to pull up part of his post for you now. This is from just a few hours ago, and in it he said, "We're offering a very fair and reasonable deal, and I hope they take it, because if they don't, the United States is going to knock out every single power plant and every single bridge in Iran." And then that's where he added, "No more Mr. Nice guy."

But once again, threatening to attack their energy infrastructure, and all of this is coming just about a week after those failed talks took place in Pakistan. Those were led by Vice President J.D. Vance. He came out afterwards and said that they were leaving without an agreement in the conflict, and that this was the best and final offer from the United States.

Even then, Trump expressed optimism that the Iranians would come back to the table. As you pointed out, though, even with this next round of talks in planning, there has not been official confirmation from the Iranians that these are going to happen.

Now, when it comes to who is taking part in these, there has been a bit of confusion because trump did a few brief phone interviews throughout the day, and he said that Vance was not going to be there this time, just due to security reasons.

Then, though, we were able to get in contact with The White House official who said that Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were all going to be in attendance. And when asked about the confusion there, they simply said things changed.

WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Benbrook at The White House, thank you so much. Let us know if anything else changes.

All right. Let's go to Islamabad, Pakistan, where we find Nic Robertson. Okay. So these peace talks are expected to take place Tuesday. What are we learning about Iran's participation? Thumbs up now or still on the fence?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Question mark right there.

Look, this city is prepared for it. The hotel they will come into, all the guests have been -- have left, vacated. The talk's venue, the hotel guests gone, it is ready. Super secure lockdown around the city center.

And a lot of diplomacy going on from the Pakistan side. Remembering just in the middle of the week that the most powerful man in the country, Field Marshal Asim Munir, the Army chief-of-staff was in Tehran along with his Interior Minister for two-and-a-half days, for high intensity talks with the Iranians. They met at many levels. This evening, you have Pakistan's Prime Minister calling Iran's president for 45 minutes, and that's a long time in any diplomatic phone call and happening late this evening. I think it gives you the understanding, if not the detail, that there is a lot of conversation going on behind-the-scenes to try to get to understanding if The White House has made a commitment, the expectation was Iran would have made a commitment to travel here, too.

[15:05:09]

Look, Iran's position has been that the United States refusal to lift the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after Iran lifted theirs is a red line for Iran. They call it a violation of the ceasefire, and it appears as if they're sort of holding that out as a threshold. They want the U.S. blockade removed before they come to talks.

It sounds like one of the wrinkles that led into the talks last week. Back then, it was a ceasefire in Lebanon, eventually, a way was found around that, not immediately, but it did work.

And I think the diplomacy in the background right now is to try to get the Iranians to come into this. But there is a real lack of trust on the Iranian side. Their top negotiator last night on Iranian state T.V. said, look, we've covered a lot of ground. We have a better understanding of each other, but big gaps remain.

But they don't trust the U.S. negotiating team, and that's a pretty serious caveat going into talks, and also, their lead negotiator has accused President Trump of lying when the President has said they've got a deal on Iran's nuclear enrichment and they've got a deal to get Iran's nuclear dust.

So, it is really a position at the moment where everyone is looking at Tehran. Are they going to come? The Pakistani mediators are really trying to sort of do what they can in the background.

It is not dead yet, and I don't think anyone expects it to fail, but it really is high stakes going into this. Of course, both sides are posturing. The ceasefire is coming. Iran wants what it wants. President Trump clearly and J.D. Vance, when he gets here, will say very clearly what the United States wants. But that's it. That's in the negotiation.

The last bit is the hardest bit, even that bit of getting the other side to the table.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Okay. Well, the clock is ticking for the arrival of all of those parties in order to get to the table.

All right, thank you so much. Nic Robertson in Pakistan.

All right, and then we are following this breaking news out of Louisiana. Eight children shot and killed in a mass shooting in Shreveport in what police are calling a domestic disturbance. Investigators say the victims range in age from one to 14 years old with the shootings taking place at three different homes in South Shreveport.

According to authorities the individual responsible for the deaths was shot and killed by police after a brief car chase.

Joining us right now is the mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, Tom Arceneaux.

Mayor, glad to be with us, so sorry under these kinds of circumstances. I know this entire community is really hurting.

I mean, what do you know about what happened?

MAYOR TOM ARCENEAUX, SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: I am sorry. Go ahead.

ARCENEAUX: Yes, ma'am. Apparently, the shooter started at one at one place and shot someone who he had had a relationship with or was in a relationship with. Then he went to the other location, where these -- where there actually, I think were nine children there. One of the children has survived, but eight of them were shot and killed by the same person.

He then bolted from the house, hijacked a car, and took off. The police gave chase and they, they ended up in an exchange of gunfire, at which time the assailant was -- is deceased.

I do not know now, whether or not he was deceased as a result of a self-inflicted wound or whether the police shot him.

WHITFIELD: So. Okay, so there are three different homes. Correct me if I am wrong. This was happening at 6:00 in the morning where people, you know, in their beds, sleeping, presumably. And what do you know about why this individual chose these homes? What kind of relationship do you understand him to -- the suspect to have had with the people in these homes?

ARCENEAUX: My understanding is that he had some kind of relationship with the woman who lived at the home where the children were and with the woman that he had gone to first.

But we are not entirely sure. Obviously, the two women are in very, very critical condition. So we are not able to get information from them. And of course, he is no longer with us either. So it is very, very difficult to try and piece this together.

We have an outstanding police department. They will put it all together. I feel very confident that they are on the scene, that they are doing what they need to do to make sure that we get as much of the story as possible.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And you know, you said the two women are being hospitalized, critical condition. You did mention one child surviving this. Can you tell us anything about the age of that child? How they are doing? What is the situation?

[15:10:10]

ARCENEAUX: The child is a teenager, who sustained a non-life threatening injury and is in the hospital doing well.

WHITFIELD: Tell me a little bit more about this neighborhood, your community, how people, you know, really must be very rattled about what happened.

ARCENEAUX: Well, it not only rattles our community, it rattles that community. It rattles the entire city. This is something that with something like this, it affects us all. We are one Shreveport and it affects us all.

And the other people that really affected, you can imagine, imagine the first responders, the crime scene investigators, the coroners -- deputy coroners, and the coroners' people that go in and they have to discover these eight children murdered all at the same time. It just was a horrific scene out there.

I was at the scene this morning, obviously stayed out of the way, but the community was beginning to gather. I think there are people trying to organize a prayer vigil, trying to find out where these children attended school so that they could have counseling at their schools, at the loss of their classmates.

So it is a major -- it is a major deal.

WHITFIELD: Yes, impacting so many people. Of course, we are hoping the best for the two women who are in critical condition. And of course, the teenager also in recovery.

Mayor Tom Arceneaux, thank you so much and hoping and wishing the best for the entire community. Thanks for being with us.

ARCENEAUX: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, something else that seems to be a trend in so many cities, teen takeovers? Massive crowds of teens swarming cities nationwide in chaotic and sometimes dangerous gatherings. New warnings for parents about who could end up being held responsible.

Plus, disturbing allegations, troubling claims of abuse inside a New York shelter for migrant children. The CNN investigation straight ahead.

And runners versus robots? Humans take on androids in a half marathon. Guess how it ended.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:16:57]

WHITFIELD: Social media is leaving law enforcement on high alert across major cities, including Atlanta and Chicago. They are called teen takeovers, and they are loosely planned meetups in public spaces that can quickly turn destructive.

As CNN's Rafael Romo reports, some of these spontaneous events have actually become deadly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Chaos in the city. This video from the Gwinnett Police Department in Georgia shows crowds of teenagers in what authorities are calling teen takeovers.

DEPUTY CHIEF JASON SMITH, ATLANTA POLICE: These takeovers need to stop. They need to come to an end. They are causing chaos and violence.

ROMO (voice over): They are sparked by social media posts that are amplified throughout the internet, and authorities say they are left with few options other than increasing their presence and warning parents about the dangers.

CHIEF RONALD APPLIN, ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS POLICE: For the parents, you need to watch your kids. You need to understand what they're doing. You need to know what they're doing every second of the day.

Do not let your child lose a potential future by doing something that doesn't make any sense at all.

OFFICER: Do you have anything in your pockets?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Please, can I go to -- yes, I have a taser and I have --

OFFICER: Have you have a taser?

ROMO (voice over): Though not all teens who gather engage in illegal behavior.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I am 16. I am 16.

ROMO (voice over): Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens warns it doesn't take much for a fun outing to turn into a nightmare.

MAYOR ANDRE DICKENS, ATLANTA, GEORGIA: It only takes one stupid decision that can be made by just one or two individuals that can really cause a ripple effect that continues to hurt someone, that could really stop a life or injure someone, or really just cause chaos in the community.

ROMO (voice over): Suburban Atlanta, where the Braves have their stadium, has been hit, too. In a joint statement, businesses and Cobb County officials said they will not tolerate teen takeovers or any other unauthorized gathering which promotes or incites violence, vandalism or public disorder.

Like others around the nation, the city of Atlanta has imposed a curfew for minors between the hours of 11:00 P.M. and 6:00 A.M. on school nights. SMITH: These teen takeovers, they started in December of 2025. They started taking over streets, disrupting the flow of traffic. Property was destroyed. Property was damaged.

There was fighting. There was assaults. Shots fired in some cases, chaos.

ROMO (voice over): CNN affiliate, WUNF interviewed a teen who spoke anonymously to describe the events. He said the gatherings aren't intended to be violent and urged parents to accompany their children.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Be there with their kids, all right?

If anything, they can insulate, the parents can like, move their kids away from the situation.

ROMO (voice over): Police warn those with a hand in planning teen takeovers may be prosecuted and in some cases, parents may also be held responsible.

SMITH: We plan on exploring every avenue involved in these takeovers and yes, in some cases it would involve charging parents.

ROMO (on camera): Teen takeovers have been happening around the country for several years. At least one of them has turned fatal. A 17-year-old girl was shot in the head and killed while leaving a teen takeover in Texas last October.

[15:20:06]

Here in Georgia, Gwinnett County Police arrested nine people in March after a takeover there turned chaotic, leaving at least one person injured.

Rafael Romo, CNN Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, in Wisconsin, nearly 1,000 animal welfare activists tried to storm an animal research center on Saturday. It was the protesters' second attempt in the past couple of months to seize an estimated 2,000 beagles housed at Ridglan Farms.

Police used teargas and rubber bullets to force them away from the facility. Multiple people were taken into custody, including one person who drove a truck through a gate on the property.

Protesters broke into the facility in March, allegedly, and took 30 dogs. At least 27 people were arrested on trespassing and other charges in that incident.

The facility denies mistreating any animals.

All right still to come, former Congressman Eric Swalwell exits the California Governor's race, and suddenly the entire contest is now up for grabs. New polling on which party is benefiting the most. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:39]

WHITFIELD: All right, we are keeping a close eye on a new set of peace talks scheduled, emerging between the U.S. and Iran. The White House says Vice President J.D. Vance, along with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner will attend a second round of negotiations to end the war. Those are slated to begin this week in Pakistan.

Iranian sources tell CNN, a delegation will arrive in Pakistan on Tuesday, but so far, Tehran has not publicly confirmed whether it will participate in the meetings.

All right, for more on all this, I want to bring in Nicole GRAJEWSKI: She is a fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of the forthcoming book, "Russia and Iran: Partners in defiance from Syria to Ukraine."

Great to see you. Thanks so much.

NICOLE GRAJEWSKI, FELLOW, NUCLEAR POLICY PROGRAM AT THE CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: Thank you so much for having me.

WHITFIELD: So with the expectation of this new round of peace talks, despite Iran so far not confirming its participation, one of the big remaining issues is the nuclear issue. I mean, the big one.

Today, Iran's president said that President Trump cannot deprive Iran of its right to a nuclear program. Presumably, he is talking about a peaceful nuclear program. What do you make of that? How does that kind of set the stage of what could be coming?

GRAJEWSKI: I mean, the nuclear issue is probably the main outstanding issue of these talks. And it is partly because the U.S. and Iran have failed to really get to a place of consensus or understanding when it comes to these positions. The U.S. essentially wants to halt any kind of Iranian nuclear activity where Iran views this as an intrinsic right to continue at least enrichment or the possibility of that in the future.

So, it is somewhat of incompatible positions at the moment.

WHITFIELD: I mean, what is going to be the space then where there can be compromise, where the two sides would agree on that?

GRAJEWSKI: It depends. I mean, Iran does have their highly enriched uranium that is still much of a bargaining chip in these talks and there have been reports about potentially the U.S. offering to unfreeze Iranian frozen assets in exchange for that highly enriched uranium.

But, I mean, the Iranians right now are really going on this kind of hard line position. So it is becoming a lot more difficult, I think, to see some kind of compromise on their behalf. WHITFIELD: And as it pertains to that, you know, highly enriched uranium, President Trump said in recent days that Iran has agreed to turn over what he is calling it, nuclear dust that enriched uranium that could be used to create a nuclear weapon. Iran, you know, has not confirmed that, but President Trump said the U.S. will get it, even if it has to take it, as he put it. Is that realistic in your view?

GRAJEWSKI: I mean, it would be a very difficult extraction operation to obtain the highly enriched uranium, which mostly is concentrated at Isfahan. This is very deep underground, deeper than Fordow or Natanz, which were targeted in the June 2025 strikes.

And so the operation would be very complex to do this militarily. And it seems like a diplomatic way is the only way out of this. But even there, it is becoming quite difficult, I think, for the United States.

WHITFIELD: Do you see it as viable that the U.S. can reach a deal to end this conflict with Iran and in so doing, that also means that there needs to be perhaps a willingness or some sort of cooperation with even Russia or China as it relates to this. How do you see this kind of relationship gelling to ultimately lead to peace or an end of this war?

GRAJEWSKI: There is a possibility that a deal occurs in the next round of talks. I mean, but remind like just in kind of in general for references, you know, the JCPOA or the Iran nuclear deal took about two years to negotiate and this is quite a comprehensive document.

I think what we are looking at is more of a kind of framework of understanding. If the highly enriched uranium issue is actually solved, then the Russians would be really crucial here, because the Russians would be essentially the country that could actually export that either for storage in Russia or in the United States, but they have played that role traditionally.

[15:30:08]

So they are really crucial there and China also can play a role in pushing Iran to maybe accept some of these terms.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nicole Grajewski, we will leave it there for now. Thank you so much for being with us.

GRAJEWSKI: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right still ahead, a new reporting on the massive new Trump backed monument moving forward in D.C. as public backlash intensifies.

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[15:35:12]

WHITFIELD: All right, the stunning departure of Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell from the governor's race in California has reset the leaderboard. Swalwell was among the leaders in the race before he announced he was dropping out last week, after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. His departure is now creating opportunities and uncertainty for Democrats and Republicans.

CNN's Elex Michealson is joining us right now to talk more about this shakeup. Elex, great to see you. So how is Swalwell's departure impacting this race?

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, it was a wide open race beforehand and it is even more wide open now. I mean you know some people have referred to him as sort of this strong frontrunner in the race before he was out, as we just saw in the poll that you just had up on the screen, we essentially were in a four-way tie beforehand.

Yes. There were some signs that Swalwell may be consolidating folks, but he was not a runaway favorite. And now this race is even more jumbled up.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. So who is benefiting most from Swalwell's departure?

MICHAELSON: Well, we've got a new poll that came out from Emerson this week that gives us some indications. So, this is where were at now when Swalwell was taken out, remember his name is still going to be on the ballot because it was already printed.

But this is where we are at. We see the two Republicans out ahead, Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, and then Democrat, Tom Steyer, who spent over $130 million of his own money in this race so far. But interestingly Xavier Becerra seems to be gaining the most.

He went up seven points in that particular poll. He is the former HHS secretary, former Attorney General of California, former congressman. And I spoke with him on our show, "The Story Is" on Friday night about why he is gaining. Take a listen.

WHITFIELD: Okay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Why do you think you in particular of all the candidates are sort of getting this second look in this bump right now?

XAVIER BECERRA (D), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I think folks feel very deceived and voters want to see someone they can trust. It is a tough time in politics, and I believe voters are looking for someone that they can trust.

And I believe one thing that makes them have that trust is experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Some critics have said that he is a little too bland, a little too boring, but he is actually sort of leaning into that as a strength, saying, look, Swalwell was so flashy, and look how that worked out for everybody. I am just sort of a nice guy who has been there all along. Check me out.

Another person who is getting sort of a second look and has raised a lot of money in the last week, is the mayor of San Jose, Matt Mahan, trying to get his message out there, and we are about to have debates in this race.

This week, we are going to see the first televised debate in a long time. And then CNN hosting our own debate on May 5th. Kaitlan Collins and myself will be co-moderating that here in Los Angeles and that is going to be a pivotal moment in this race.

WHITFIELD: It will indeed. We are looking forward to that. Now, I wonder Elex, you know people who maybe were not as excited about this race before Swalwell stepping out, has this shakeup made voters a little bit more enthusiastic or pay closer attention now to who the candidates are and who their pick might be.

MICHAELSON: Well, there are some data that tracks media mentions, and Eric Swalwell certainly won the week in terms of media mentions. I mean, he got the most attention in terms of anybody talking.

I mean, there is a lot of people that have not been paying attention to this race, even though it matters in a huge way. You know, one out of eight people in the country live in California. It is the fourth largest economy in the world. It is the blue state resistance to Donald Trump. If you think about the governor of California, who could now be the Democratic nominee. The last Democratic nominee was from California.

This race really matters, and yet a lot of folks haven't been paying that close of attention. A lot of people are not that interested with the Democratic options, which is why we see this scenario where there are two Republicans who could make the top two and box out the Democrats.

Remember, in California, it is the top two in the primary advance, regardless of party and as you showed in your first poll, the top two folks right now are republicans.

So you could have a scenario where Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco make the top two. Trump recently endorsed Hilton, but that did not get Hilton the Republican nomination. That was a no endorsement last weekend at their convention. Nobody could get to 60 percent, so if those two essentially evenly split the Republican vote, almost 50/50, that could create a scenario where Democrats are locked out and the bluest state, in a time where we have a blue wave, most likely when it comes to the House and the Senate, that could be represented by a Republican, which would be an extraordinary moment.

Unlikely, but not impossible.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it is still a very important race to watch and you and Kaitlan will help us out on that night of this primary or I guess, primary debate forum on Tuesday.

[15:40:10] Thank you so much, Elex Michaelson, appreciate it, and Kaitlan Collins will be moderating the California Governor Primary Debate right there. Tuesday, May 5th.

And you can, of course, watch Elex on his show, "The Story Is" weeknights at 9:00 P.M. Pacific, 12:00 A.M. Eastern right here on CNN.

We will be right back.

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[15:45:05]

WHITFIELD: All right, this breaking news just into CNN President Trump posting on his social media, said that the U.S. Navy has actually stopped and then fired upon an Iranian flagged vessel in the Gulf of Oman.

This comes as the U.S. officials reportedly are heading to Pakistan for talks in Islamabad.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is at The White House.

Julia, what more is the President saying about this occurrence taking place? And then how does this interrupt, upend scheduled diplomatic talks in Pakistan?

BENBROOK: Well, we are at a moment where we are in this fragile ceasefire. It is set to expire in a number of days. You've also got President Donald Trump previewing these talks that are going to take place in Pakistan. We know that Vice President J.D. Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are expected to attend, but the Iranians have not officially confirmed that those talks are taking place.

So everything that happens in these next hours and days has the potential to have an impact here. And I want to pull up this most recent post from Trump. I believe we have that for you now. He said that "... today an Iranian flagged cargo ship, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our naval blockade," that's in the Strait of Hormuz, "... and it did not go well for them. The U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer intercepted it, the ship in the Gulf of Oman and gave them fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen. So our Navy ships stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole into the engine room." Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of this vessel.

So this came just moments ago on Truth Social, where we have seen Trump give a number of major updates regarding this conflict. That's where he first announced the joint U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran. But again, Fred, I just want to emphasize that these next few hours and days are crucial, as he is also teasing the potential for this second round of talks.

WHITFIELD: Okay, Julia Benbrook, let us know as you learn more.

All right, a CNN investigation looked into questions being raised over a facility that is supposed to take care of migrant children.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has more on these allegations.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: A New York facility that housed migrant children is facing allegations of abuse that has prompted a federal review. Now, these allegations stem from the treatment of teenage boys at the facility against what they described as a "special unit" that's akin to a security team. They might be called if there were a fight or altercation or potential behavioral issues.

Now, CNN spoke with multiple sources and reviewed internal federal agency documents to understand the scope of these allegations. And they include, for example, beatings. One teen described being thrown on the floor and hit. That's according to an account that was shared with CNN; restraints, those were used at times for longer than is protocol for the safety of children, as well as being placed in isolation in a so-called red room. It earned the name because the floor and the walls are red as a form of punishment.

Now, the facility we are talking about here is one that housed unaccompanied migrant children. Those are children who arrived to the U.S.-Mexico border alone, or have been swept up in an operation -- ICE operation in the United States.

The Department of Health and Human Services funds these shelters because they are charged with the care of migrant children. Now, in this case, the issues at this facility appear to predate the Trump administration according to multiple sources saying that these concerns have been raised to New York authorities as well in recent years, and that multiple teens that had stayed at that facility shared similar experiences, particularly against this security team.

Now, these allegations reached the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is under HHS, and they conducted or federal officials conducted an ad hoc monitoring visit at the facility in January and found, "significant child welfare concerns that resulted in a stop placement," meaning no additional migrant children will go there for now, and the transfer of all those children that were there to other facilities.

Now, in a statement from a spokesperson for Children's Village, the facility we are talking about here, they said, they have zero tolerance for -- "... we have zero tolerance for any form of punishment." The statement goes on to "... say allegations of employee misconduct are deeply distressing, and if received, we make an immediate report to the authorities. We will take all necessary steps to ensure that any staff member found to have engaged in misconduct is addressed appropriately and without hesitation."

The Department of Health And Human Services spokesman Andrew Nixon, similarly provided a statement to CNN saying that "The ORR," the federal agency under HHS "... takes all allegations of misconduct involving children in its care extremely seriously. Upon receiving an allegation related to this facility, ORR acted immediately to transfer all unaccompanied children to other locations and referred the matter to the appropriate federal investigative authorities."

[15:50:12]

Former HHS officials who spoke with CNN called these allegations concerning and disturbing and said that the allegations that were described here should not happen under any circumstances to migrant children in care.

Back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much.

And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:55:07]

WHITFIELD: Kara Swisher dives into the booming longevity industry, becoming both reporter and test subject as she meets Silicon Valley power players and explorers of anti-aging, biotech, A.I. and so much more. Watch new episodes of the CNN Original Series: "Kara Swisher Wants To Live Forever." That's Saturday nights at 9:00 on CNN and the next day on the CNN app.

All right, the NBA and NHL playoffs are underway. And in soccer, a title showdown in the Premier League that just wrapped up with a thrilling finish. For more on all this, we are joined now by CNN's Patrick Snell.

All right, walk us through all of these highlights. You've got a lot.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Yes, there's a lot to pack in.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SNELL: So let's start with the NBA playoffs, Fred, four more on tap for this Sunday. I will tell you what though. Just a few minutes ago, the Boston Celtics wrapping up a really convincing victory over the 76ers by 32 points. Why do we care? Well that's the largest playoff opening win in Boston's storied history there. So really great bit of history there for the team.

Now, last night it was all eyes on LeBron James and the L.A. Lakers. A really impressive performance, I will say, this superstar icon of the sport standing out at 41 years of age. LeBron dishing out 13 assists, becoming the oldest player ever to hit double digit dimes in a playoff game. He just casually added 19 points. LeBron doing what LeBron does so often and so well in some style, too.

Kevin Durant out with injury for the Rockets and the Lakers taking full advantage. Plot twist though, Luke Kennard, a special night for him dropping a game high 27 out of seemingly nowhere. He was five for five from three point land. L.A. were terrific on the night, convincing game one win 107 to 98 and LeBron grateful that his family were right there to see it. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, L.A. LAKERS: I was on the floor with my son, like in a playoff game. That's probably the craziest thing that's ever happened to me in my career.

It was just so cool to be out there with him and his brother and sister and his mom in the building and his Grandma, you know, like that's just insane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: Pretty cool. Pretty cool with a family like that.

WHITFIELD: That is pretty nice.

SNELL: Now, if you like your playoff basketball, just a little spicy, Denver, it seems have the answer against the Timberwolves. Nuggets star, Jamal Murray in inspired form, 30 points on the night. A perfect 16 for 16 from the line. But how about Nikola Jokic. Just your seemingly every day triple double plus a bloody nose as well for dramatic effect, 42 fouls in this game including a technical for Jaden McDaniels pushing, but the Serbian superstar would have the last laugh.

Denver winning it 116 to 105. That's now 13 straight wins as they pick apart the Timberwolves in game one.

All right the puck is dropped on the NHL playoffs. Kings and the Avalanche in progress at this hour. Three more games to come as well after that one. Meantime, the first playoff clash between the Flyers and the Penguins since 2018 did not disappoint.

Philadelphia's Porter Martone, just 19 years of age and only the 10th NHL game of his career, scoring the eventual game winner in the third. What a moment for him. He was playing college hockey at Michigan State three weeks ago. From rookie to rock star in his first playoff game, Flyers take it three-two in Pittsburgh in game one, but the Stanley Cup playoffs actually starting with some fisticuffs flying from puck drop.

WHITFIELD: Oh no!

SNELL: Look at this. Now, the Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk and Carolina Captain Jordan Staal getting to know each other, shall we say, the old fashioned way. Gloves off on the opening faceoff. So how about the game itself? The goalie, Frederik Andersen with 22 saves here for the Dane, highlight reel stuff, a shutout masterpiece. The Hurricanes blanking the Senators two-nothing.

And a massive match today, Fred in the English Premier League. That's my homeland with the title on the line. Man City in second place with a vital two one win over leaders, Arsenal. As these two battle it out, just a handful of games to go. Norwegian superstar in this World Cup year. Remember, Erling Haaland with the game winner for Pep Guardiola's City. Arsenal fans not happy, they still lead the way though, but now a lead that was nine points just over a week ago, down to three.

Fred, it is what they call squeaky bum time over there in England for the top teams going for the title.

WHITFIELD: That's what they call it?

SNELL: That's what they call it, yes.

WHITFIELD: Squeaky bum time. Okay, all in one. I like it.

All right, Patrick Snell that was quite the adventure. Appreciate it.

SNELL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, so human runners -- how about that? That is quite the adventure. They are not the only ones participating in a half marathon in China. Humanoid robots ran the same course yesterday in a test of robot speed and stability. Lightning, a running robot manufactured by a Chinese phone maker, finished the half marathon in just over 50 minutes. That beat the human record by more than 60 minutes.

Do we like that, Patrick?

SNELL: Humans have work to do.

WHITFIELD: Yes, we do.

SNELL: Interesting. Certainly interesting.

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