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U.S. Navy Fired On And Seized Iranian-Flagged Vessel Amid Blockade Standoff; Trump Says U.S. Delegation Heading Again To Pakistan For Iran Talks; Traffic Halts In Strait Of Hormuz Ahead Of New Round Of Iran-U.S. Talks; Deadly Mass Shooting In Louisiana; Pope Leo Draws 100,000 People To Mass In Angola; Trump Signs Executive Order Urging More Research Into Psychedelic Drug; Boston Globe Reporter Goes Viral For Her Pure Buston Accent. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired April 19, 2026 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: That beat the human record by more than 60 minutes. Do we like that, Patrick?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Humans have work to do.

WHITFIELD: Yes, we do.

SNELL: Interesting. Certainly interesting.

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

All right. We begin with a major escalation in the ongoing standoff between the U.S. and Iran. Moments ago, President Trump said on his Truth Social that U.S. forces fired on and actually took control of an Iranian cargo ship after it tried to circumvent a U.S. naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman. This action coming just as Vice President J.D. Vance and top White House officials are due to travel to Pakistan, where crucial talks with Iranian officials are expected to take place this week.

I want to go straight to the White House and CNN's Julia Benbrook with more on this.

Julia, what more are we hearing besides this Truth Social post from the president?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is where he is putting out his big updates on the ongoing conflict in Iran, on Truth Social. So I want to pull up that post for you now where he did provide some more details. In this he said, quote, "Today, an Iranian flagged cargo ship named Tusca, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our naval blockade, and it did not go well for them.

"The U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the two in the Gulf of Oman and gave them fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen. So our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole into the engine room. Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel." Now, this comes as a critical time as that ceasefire agreement is

expected to expire in just a matter of days. It's scheduled to expire. And then we are expecting to see another round of talks taking place in a couple of days as well. Trump has said that those will take place in Pakistan, that he is sending negotiators for another round. That's just a week after we saw Vice President J.D. Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, go take part in that first round. And then those ended without an agreement to end the conflict. At the time, Vance did say that that was the best and final offer.

But all of that to say that any changes, any movement there could have a big impact could potentially make a change in these planned talks that the Iranians have not yet officially confirmed.

WHITFIELD: And then what do we know about, you know, these talks as they're moving forward? Iran hasn't confirmed, but we got, you know, flip-flop messages throughout the day about whether J.D. Vance was going. The latest was the vice president was indeed going. So what does this all predicated on?

BENBROOK: Yes, we'll start with that. I mean, Trump gave a few brief phone interviews, as he has been doing recently, earlier in the day. And during those he said that Vance would not be traveling for this round of talks after leading the last round. He said that was only because of security reasons. But then as we reached out to White House officials here, we got confirmation that the plan is that Vance will be there, along with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in- law, Jared Kushner, once again for these talks.

Now, when we asked about the confusion of all of that, we got back a simple response that plans had changed. And that was the explanation there. But when it comes to what Trump has said, he thinks that he is offering the Iranians a very fair and reasonable deal. At the same time, though, he's issuing a stark warning saying that if they reject it, he'll essentially do what he thinks needs to be done.

And he has also said, no more Mr. Nice Guy, that if things do not go well, if he does not feel that they are coming to the table in good faith, that he could target energy infrastructure, saying that he could target every single power plant and every single bridge -- Fred.

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

All right. So a likely sticking point in any talks between the U.S. and Iran will be the Strait of Hormuz. The 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.

I want to go now to CNN's Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem.

So, Oren, tell us what is and isn't happening there.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF AND CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, in the Strait of Hormuz, it turns out that not a lot at all is happening and the strait itself remains closed. That is the bottom line here. The key question is why and how is it closed? The U.S. insists it's blockading Iranian ports while in response to that, Iran insists it has blockaded and closed off the Strait of Hormuz.

And that's why on Sunday, according to marine traffic data and tracking Web sites, we saw no tankers crossing through one of the world's most critical waterways, as you pointed out, where 20 percent of the world's crude oil flows.

[16:05:07]

We did see two tankers approach the Strait of Hormuz, according to marine tracking Web sites, but they then turned around. Iran's state news agency says it was Iran's armed forces that warned and then forced those ships to turn around. And meanwhile, if you look at marine tracking sites, you see the bottleneck. Ships waiting on either side, in the Persian Gulf or in the Gulf of Oman. Meanwhile, on Saturday, Iranian armed forces fired on one tanker.

A second vessel came under attack, though the cause isn't stated, according to the U.K. Maritime Agency. India says two vessels that are flagged in India also were part of incidents in the Strait of Hormuz. So you see how effectively the Strait of Hormuz is shut. Even after the U.S. and President Donald Trump say they have wiped out Iran's navy and air force, it's Iran's ability to carry out asymmetric warfare using rockets and drones and their -- and their smaller fast attack boats that has allowed them to effectively close the strait.

The goal behind the U.S. blockade in Iranian ports is to cost Iran hundreds of millions of dollars a day in oil revenue. Meanwhile, the goal of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz is the surge in gas prices that we see not only in the U.S. but across the world. So this is a form of economic warfare on each side -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Oren Liebermann, thank you so much.

All right. The unrest in the Strait of Hormuz, known as the transit choke point for 20 percent of the world's oil, is adding to the uncertainty around the cost of gas at the pump. Today, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN that he believes prices have peaked, but warns they may not drop back under $3 a gallon in the U.S. until next year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: When do you think it's realistic for Americans to expect that gas will go back to under $3 a gallon?

CHRIS WRIGHT, ENERGY SECRETARY: I don't know. That could happen later this year. That might not happen until next year, but prices have likely peaked and they'll start going down. Certainly with a resolution of this conflict, you'll see prices go down. Prices across the board on energy prices will go down.

TAPPER: But it might not be under $3 a gallon until 2027. WRIGHT: Under $3 a gallon is pretty tremendous in inflation adjusted

terms. We had that in the -- in the Trump administration, but we hadn't seen that in inflation adjusted term for quite a long time. We'll get -- well get back there for sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: According to AAA, the national average gas price is $4.05 a gallon. That's more than a dollar higher than before the war with Iran.

All right. Still to come, breaking news of a tragic mass shooting in Louisiana, where eight children are dead. We've got the latest details on what led to these killings. And later, what some Catholics are saying about what they think about the continuing spat between the Pope and the president.

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[16:12:34]

WHITFIELD: This breaking news out of Louisiana, where police say eight children have been shot and killed while three others are wounded.

CNN's Rafael Romo is joining us now with more on what happened.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Really hard to wrap your head around this one. It's just so horrific, Fred. And according to Shreveport Police officers responding to reports of shots fired just after 6:00 this morning, found victims in two homes in the Cedar Grove neighborhood along West 79th Street and a third home on nearby Harrison Street.

Shreveport Police Corporal Chris Bordelon described a very large scene with eight children shot dead. He called it the result of, quote, "a domestic disturbance." He said the victims ranged in age from 1 to 14 years old and were all apparently shot by the same individual who is related to some of the victims. Bordelon also said that the suspect carjacked a vehicle after the shootings, and a chase ensued, with Shreveport police officers right behind the suspect.

The corporal said the chase ended in a neighboring Bossier Parish when officers fired at the suspect. The man is now dead and is believed to be the only shooter.

This is what Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux told CNN about a possible motive last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR TOM ARCENEAUX, SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA: 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 I -- we're not entirely sure. Obviously, the two women are in very, very critical condition. So we're not able to get information from them. And of course, he is no longer with us either. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: The mayor also told us that there is an additional teenage child who survived the shooting and is in the hospital doing well. The shooting happened in House Speaker Mike Johnson's district. In a statement, Johnson said the following. "We're holding the victims, their families and loved ones in our Shreveport community close in our thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time."

Police have not released the names of the victims or the suspected shooter. Just a few moments ago, press conference by the city council about what happened as well.

WHITFIELD: Tragic. So sad. Thank you so much, Rafael Romo.

ROMO: Of course.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, we'll examine the issues preventing a peace deal with Iran. What will the negotiators have to focus on when they gather for talks that are scheduled for Tuesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:19:20]

WHITFIELD: All right. If you're just now joining us, breaking news, President Trump says U.S. forces fired on and then intercepted an Iranian flagged cargo ship that tried to get through a U.S. naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz. The president said on Truth Social, the ship was warned by a U.S. Navy destroyer to stop, and when it did not, the Navy, I'm quoting now from his Truth Social post, "stopped them in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room," end quote.

Earlier, Trump said Vice President J.D. Vance and others -- and other U.S. envoys are hoping to hold a new round of peace talks with Iran in the coming days in Islamabad, Pakistan. But Tehran has yet to officially confirm the talks.

[16:20:02]

With a ceasefire scheduled to expire within days, Iran has once again closed off the Strait of Hormuz. According to tracking data, no tankers crossed the vital waterway on Sunday.

Joining us right now is Jim Walsh. He is an international security analyst and a senior research associate at MIT's Security Studies Program.

Always great to see you, Jim.

JIM WALSH, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Always great to be here, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So, first, before we get into the potential removal of enriched uranium, which is why I was really interested in hearing your voice, I do want to ask you about what's going on right now or what's -- what we think is expected to happen in the next couple of days with this new round of peace talks. And it seems to be on tap once again being led by the vice president, J.D. Vance, who the White House confirms will be on his way to Pakistan.

But Iran now has closed the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. naval blockade continues. The president claims the U.S. Navy has intercepted an Iranian vessel and quoting from his Truth Social, "blown a hole in the engine room," end quote. So how do you, you know, read what is happening right now? Where might there be any potential to progress?

WALSH: Well, I think this is playing out at two levels, Fredricka. One is sort of day-to-day and on that it's two steps forward and one step backward. You know, we get a ceasefire and then Israel continues to attack Lebanon, which was not in the ceasefire. Then Trump intervenes, I'm guessing, and pushes Netanyahu to have negotiations and then to declare a ceasefire. Iran pressures Hezbollah to abide by it.

That seems like that's all positive progress. Then you have Iran saying, OK, with all of that, the straits are open. And then Trump goes on social media and says, fine, but I'm still going to blockade you. And of course, the Iranians reverse themselves. So back and forth, back and forth.

The big picture I would say, though, is that both parties have an interest to want to settle up. Iran has been wounded and is -- would like to get to the, you know, to the job of rebuilding, and frankly, Mr. Trump cannot afford to have this linger and linger with each day passing the political and economic costs for him grow. So he's really a motivated buyer of a deal. And -- but there are sort of at the day- to-day level, they're coming up with reasons why they're mad at each other.

And so it seems like they're making progress and then they're not, and then they are. But I think they're both driven, perhaps the president more than Iran, to want to get something done. And so I expect that despite the various irritants, they will meet.

WHITFIELD: So you see this is -- even though there are bumps in the road here, that this really is the path for honestly trying to broker a deal to peace.

WALSH: Yes. Now, I didn't say it was going to be the be all and end all of all agreements. You know, there's not much you can negotiate in two weeks, three weeks. I mean, the JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal, took two years.

WHITFIELD: Right. Years.

WALSH: You could call it three years to do. So, but I think they can get to a point where the conflict ends and where the president feels like he can, you know, move on to other business. But even that will be difficult. But I think, you know, the obvious deal has been on the table since before the June war, which was Iran will suspend its enrichment, which it's never done before. So that, you know, that's a win. It will suspend for some number of years. And then in return, it will

get sanctions relief. I mean, that's sort of the deal. And then the other stuff is probably going to get papered over because there's just not enough time to address it all.

WHITFIELD: OK. In the meantime, you know, whatever ends up being agreed upon or discussed as it pertains to, you know, a real plan for peace, President Trump has not budged on the fact that he wants, you know, the enriched uranium that Iran has, whether it's under rubble or not removed.

Now, let's talk about how that really can happen in a safe manner. Is the U.S. military equipped to be able to go into Iran, find this enriched uranium under the rubble and actually retrieve it, or what body of people or consortium of bodies would it take in order to do this?

WALSH: Well, certainly the U.S. military has tremendous engineering capabilities, but it's the Department of Energy that really has managed the U.S. nuclear stockpile. And I think that's where you would find the expertise for dealing once you clear the rubble before dealing with this particular issue, which is removing canisters, three-foot canisters, that have 60 percent enriched uranium in them. But we need to back up --

WHITFIELD: And that's if they're intact, right? Yes.

[16:25:03]

WALSH: Well, I mean, that's the thing. Are they? We think they are. And I think really there are two issues here that we need to separate the thing into two buckets. This was stored at three sites in Iran. Two of the sites were bombed with this giant earth penetrator and were probably substantially destroyed. Now, that's going to take a long time. That's a big project to dig all that out. The third site, Isfahan, the U.S. did not use this giant earth penetrator.

And the theory is that that is less damage. And therefore there's a greater chance of recovering it. But I will emphasize, Fredricka, everyone hopes it's there. Everyone says it's there, but we don't know it's there. And Iran certainly had a strong incentive to move it back before the June war, and certainly since the June war. So -- and even if we get into Isfahan, there's still these other two sites and we really don't know what's there. So it's a very uncertain thing.

I think Iran is unlikely to let U.S. troops on their territory. We're probably looking at a thing where it's the Iranians that do the digging, but there is IAEA and there's U.S. or other observers there. But I don't think they're going to want the U.S. Army conducting a major operation on Iranian soil.

WHITFIELD: So you see it as unrealistic if the U.S. says this is a sticking point on our deal, among the things to be discussed this week, that the U.S. wants access in order to retrieve these things. Iran is likely to say no way. WALSH: I think at that point, you know what you're doing. You're

probably going to bargain over the timeline. You know, I mentioned before that they were both basically on board with this idea of a suspension. And Iran was saying, we'll suspend for five years. And the U.S. is saying, well, we want you to suspend for 20 years. Well, at that point, you're haggling over price, like everyone knows you're going to end up in 10 years, plus or minus.

And so applied to this case, no one is getting in there anytime soon, right? Like this is something that's going to be dealt with over the medium term. And they can agree in principle to some schedule and protocol where there's observed excavation. And, you know, people have confidence in the process. But again, that's all assuming it's there. And even if you find it, what's at the other side, you don't know.

So I don't think, you know, people are going to want this war to end long before this issue is settled, right? We're not going to be fighting here for a year. So I think they'll find a way to manage that while they deal with the other things that are more immediate. Suspension, sanctions relief.

WHITFIELD: All right. All so fascinating. Glad we had you, Jim Walsh. Thank you for saying yes to joining us today.

WALSH: My pleasure. Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, Pope Leo continues his call for peace in the Middle East. Find out what some American Catholics are saying about the comments that seem to be going back and forth between the pontiff and the U.S. president.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:32:33]

WHITFIELD: All right. New today, Pope Leo is in Angola, where his open air mass drew a crowd of some 100,000 worshippers. The pope urged Angolans to overcome their colonial past and strife that have besieged the African country for decades. The pope is in Africa, making stops in four countries and meeting with worshipers, while also addressing his rocky relationship with President Trump.

CNN correspondent Gloria Pazmino is in New York, where she has been talking to Catholics attending services today.

So, Gloria, what have you been hearing from people today?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, their relationship was very much part of the conversation between myself and some of those parishioners here today, Fred. Many of them told me frankly that they were frustrated. And I heard some disappointment even among supporters of the president who felt that this was a fight he should have never picked.

Now, I also spoke with Archbishop Ronald Hicks here in New York City. He is the recently appointed archbishop, leading more than 2.5 million Catholics in this area. And he told me that the pope's message of peace, the fact that he has been highlighting that message at this time while the U.S. is in conflict, is a welcome thing by many Catholics, including some who are recently either returning to the church or joining the church. The archbishop told us that he was happy to see Pope Leo speak about -- speak out about that message. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD ALDON HICKS, ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK: What I think I've been most impressed about with our holy father is how he's responding. I'm not surprised by what he's saying. He's preaching the gospel. He's preaching a message of peace, a peace, a message of reconciliation, of healing that shouldn't surprise any of us.

So far, the majority of our Catholics, they are very happy with our pope. They are embracing his message, and he's showing them a way of what dialogue looks like, of what leadership looks like, of how to direct our lives in a proper way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now, Fred, as I said, we spoke to some people who were in church this morning, and we also spoke to others who were here who told us that they understood that President Trump needed to take action in Iran. In fact, some of them were in support of that action, but they simply felt that his fight and his back and forth with the pope, as well as the vice president's comments about the pope suggesting that the pope should be careful when speaking about theology were really disappointing and just a talking point they should have never picked up.

[16:35:17]

This is what some had to say, including some supporters of the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANITA BAUMAN: I don't think it helps the president at all. I think it's colossally stupid. And I say that as a Catholic and as a person who voted for Trump. But I think that it's just not the battle to pick.

I think it's just an uncomfortable moment. And, you know, I think there's better ways to address dialogue. And, you know, I would rather see him try to come to some accord with the Holy Father and with the church's position. You know, I do think that things needed to be done in Iran.

PAZMINO: Do you think that the president engaging in this kind of thing hurts him with his supporters?

LOLA REESE: Yes, I do, I do. I do.

PAZMINO: What would you like to see him do? REESE: Back off and kind of calm down his little bitty, tiny streak of -- a big streak of a little meanness here and there.

STEVE GORDON: I see both sides, and I'm not sure that I want to say what side I agree or don't agree with, but I think there is a space for it. You just have to be very careful how you put out that message, especially with both being such high-ranking figures in the U.S., and how their messages are received.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Fred, I also heard from people here today who made the point that, you know, we have an American pope for the first time in history. And so that is part of the reason why so many people are perhaps paying even closer attention to what Pope Leo is saying while he's on this trip, even as he tries to sort of get away from the idea that he was trying to start or participate in any sort of debate with the president.

We heard the pope talk about that during his trip in the last day or so, trying to kind of bring back the focus of his trip throughout Africa. Certainly not this back and forth that we have seen between Pope Leo and the President Trump here at home.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. Hey, I'm so glad that the people that you approached there were willing to go on camera and talk as frankly as they did, you know, about that. And I mean, that was -- that sounded like pure honesty.

Gloria, thank you so much.

PAZMINO: Yes, that's right.

WHITFIELD: Awesome. Thanks so much in New York.

All right. Prosecutors are expected to decide tomorrow whether to file criminal charges against the singer D4vid. The 21-year-old was arrested last week in connection with the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose remains were found in his car last year. The LAPD says they will meet to present evidence to prosecutors tomorrow. Authorities say Rivas and the singer were seen together publicly before her family reported her missing in April of 2024.

All right, still to come, President Trump signed an executive order to expand research into the use of psychedelic drugs to treat mental health conditions. Ahead, well speak with one of the scientists looking into the drug at the center of this research.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:42:53]

WHITFIELD: All right. This weekend, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at expanding research into the use of psychedelic drugs to treat mental health conditions. The order directs $50 million in federal funds to make the drugs more available for conditions like depression and anxiety. It also urges the FDA to fast- track reviews of certain psychedelics, such as ibogaine. The administration says the goal is to speed up new mental health treatment options.

Joining us right now to talk more about this is Kirsten Cherian. She is a clinical assistant professor and neuropsychologist at Stanford University. She was also one of the lead researchers on a 2025 Stanford study of how the psychedelic drug ibogaine impacted people suffering from PTSD symptoms.

All right, Dr. Cherian, good to see you. Thanks for being with us.

KIRSTEN CHERIAN, CLINICAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. So how did your research at Stanford come about involving this drug, ibogaine?

CHERIAN: So, I worked with a researcher named Nolan Williams, who unfortunately passed away in October. But he was approached by people who've been looking at this treatment as a viable, and really beneficial treatment for veterans who've been suffering from the effects of war, including traumatic brain injuries, PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance use, and so on.

And he was approached by them to try to understand what it is they've been seeing because people have been crossing borders to access the treatment. And so, Dr. Williams asked me to lead the study for him. And so, we followed 30 Special Forces veterans who went to Mexico to receive the treatment. They came to Stanford before the treatment, and then they returned after the treatment, which was about a week later. And then they returned again one month post-treatment.

And we did a bunch of assessments of them, including assessing kind of the frequency and severity of symptoms associated with PTSD and other mood disorders kind of how their brains were functioning.

[16:45:06]

We did MRIs, we did EEGs to try to learn more about what was actually happening.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And so, of the majority of these 30 veterans, was it the conclusion that this ibogaine was most beneficial to them? Or were there real swings in experiences as to how it benefited some, but then not necessarily others.

CHERIAN: The vast majority showed very striking reductions in PTSD, depression, anxiety, symptoms. They showed a reduction in cravings for pretty much any substance if they weren't using substances, even many of them reported not wanting caffeine. So, another striking result was a reduction in suicidality and suicidal ideation, which is a really significant problem in the veteran population. And particularly in the special forces veteran population.

WHITFIELD: Wow. I mean, and it's not a new drug. It's derived from a shrub in Africa, right? It's believed to improve all kinds of symptoms that you just mentioned, you know, PTSD and anxiety and depression. But why is it then the case that it has been classified in the U.S. as a schedule one controlled substance?

I mean, why is it that it is not considered, a drug, up until now, you know, encouraged research to be accessible to everyone?

CHERIAN: It's a great question. So, I think the research really started in the United States back in the '60s, when it was kind of discovered that ibogaine had pretty amazing effects at helping to stop or, you know, stop the cycle of opioid addictions. And, but there were some kind of political and other events happening that kind of by the '70s, ibogaine got classified as a schedule one substance. And what that means is that there are known -- no known medical effects. There's a high potential for abuse and the safety information is not there.

So, really what we need to do is do the research.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And so, the president signed an executive order yesterday calling for more research. Just so people understand, it doesn't mean that he signed an executive order that says now it's approved, it's going to be accessible, you know, and, you know, prescribed by your doctor when you ask for it. But since there's going to be more research, you're happy and thrilled with the, the 30 vets that were part of your study.

What added research does there need to be, what still needs to be discovered? And you know, we talked about all the upsides, but then there are probably some side effects too, right?

CHERIAN: Absolutely. Yes. There are some definite downsides with the treatment. You know, one of the main known problems or safety risks associated with the treatment is that it can affect the heart. And there have been some fatalities associated with the way it affects the heart.

So, there have been some treatment protocols to co-administer the ibogaine with magnesium for its protection of the heart. But there still needs to be rigorous, safety data to help us understand better who is at increased risk and who is not to understand that individuals with psychosis who may be at risk if they use this medicine, it also understand drug interactions because there are some dangerous drug interactions if people can't be successfully weaned off medication for treatment that puts people in danger. So, we really need to understand these safety measures.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. Also fascinating. Dr. Kirsten Cherian, I'm glad you could be with us to help us better understand. Thank you.

CHERIAN: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: And CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been reporting on cannabis for over a decade now. His latest documentary, number eight in his "WEED" series with CNN, looks at how medical cannabis is on the rise, particularly among women. Dr. Gupta gives us a preview right now

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, I got to say, this was such a fascinating documentary to work on over the past year. We traveled all over the country. I mean, we were in Oklahoma, which I think surprised a lot of people. Traditional heartland state, one of the last states in the country to legalize medicinal marijuana.

But a lot of things changed in the state after that happened. There was this sort of green rush. A lot of dispensaries, a lot of grow fields, but also, you know, 10 percent of the adult population got medical marijuana cards. And that was sort of a microcosm for the country. But just think about that, one in 10 people actually using medicinal marijuana for medicinal purposes.

And increasingly women, which was fascinating. Women outpacing men when it comes to cannabis use.

[16:50:03]

And to put a punctuation mark on this, a lot of that growth driven by women between the ages of 45 and 60.

So, think about that -- women, perimenopause, menopause, having traditionally had a lot of options in terms of how to treat those symptoms. No surprise perhaps, Fred, that they increasingly look to alternative means. So, what we wanted to do here is show what happened, what the data shows in terms of how cannabis might or might not, in some cases, be helpful for some of these symptoms. And what this all means for the future -- Fred.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Watch Dr. Sanjay Gupta report, "WEED 8: WOMEN & WEED". This Sunday, April 19th at 8:00 p.m., right here on CNN.

All right. Up next, a local newspaper reporter widens her reach thanks to her unique style.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMILY SWEENEY, "BOSTON GLOBE" REPORTER: Hi. I'm Emily Sweeney from "The Boston Globe". And apparently a lot of you like my accent.

Here are some of the top stories of the day, because --

It's finally heating up in Boston. There may be a very --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[16:55:42] WHITFIELD: All right. If you live in the Boston area and are a reader or follower of "The Boston Globe", then you know, it's one of New England's largest news organizations in business for more than 150 years.

You may have also come to know Emily Sweeney. She's been a reporter for "The Globe" for the last 25 years.

But recently, well outside of New England, she's caught fire, elevated to a new plateau of attention and notoriety because of how she is now delivering the news for "The Globe" with her unmistakable accent and her tracksuit fashions.

Just have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SWEENEY: Hi. I'm Emily Sweeney from "The Boston Globe", and apparently a lot of you like my accent.

Here are some of the top stories of the day because --

It's finally heating up in Boston. There may be a very strong El Nino.

Two guys I'd never expect to get into a donnybrook of feuding. President Trump and Pope Leo are going at it.

A psychiatrist who lives in Reading, Massachusetts, was sentenced to eight months in federal prison for trafficking animal parts.

Another day, another track jacket.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And people love that. In fact, she's right here. "Boston Globe" reporter Emily Sweeney here to chat with us. And of course, sport your tracksuit.

I like it, I approve.

SWEENEY: Oh, thank you.

WHITFIELD: So nice. I mean, you've been a journalist for a long time, you know, and you know, things change. And how we cover the news over the years. And I wonder how this came to be. Was this your idea, you know, to appeal to a new audience was "The Boston Globe" who said, we want to try something different? How did it all come about?

SWEENEY: Well, you know, actually, I'm really lucky to work for the globe because, you know, we've put a lot of resources into our social media channels and just trying to do more, you know, get getting reporters on video, telling their news stories in a different way just to reach more audience. And it was just another day when I was reporting on a, you know, a, it was a robbery up in a mansion up in Beverly that was kind of the one that went really viral. And I just so happened to be wearing a track jacket like I usually do.

I didn't do anything differently. I've done other videos like this before. I was talking how I normally do and then when I saw the numbers for that video, I remember like looking, I'm like 900,000. That's like, that seems like a lot.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. And were you thinking, wait, it's because of the mansion or did you put two and two together and say, wait a minute, it's because of how I'm reporting on this story and you know, how I'm delivering this news. I mean, how did you kind of connect the dots on all this?

SWEENEY: You know, I wasn't sure I knew, you know, it was a crazy story for sure. And, you know, and then I started looking at the comments and just like comments after comments, you know, there were so many people talking about my accent, what I was wearing. And, you know, I was kind of like, is anybody did anybody listen to the story I just told?

Like, but you know, it was all very positive, which, you know, working for like a legacy media organization. And you probably know, you know, you don't see that often as much these days.

WHITFIELD: Right.

SWEENEY: And so it's been really nice to see, just like the huge positive response, you know, I've been getting messages from people of all ages and from like all over the world, like, even like, as far as like Australia, you know, just expressing interest in the news and headlines in Boston, which is kind of weird, but --

WHITFIELD: It's wonderful because I mean, yes, it's a legacy organization. At the same time. I mean, your accent is iconic and, you know, perhaps, you know, outside the Boston area, people are not familiar with it and hearing it, it's very charming and you're very authentic. And that's probably, you know, leading to your popularity, your -- you know, being authentic.

I love your report. You know, you're in the Dunkin Donuts. I mean, I only learned recently when doing a fellowship in Cambridge that Dunkin Donuts was like founded there. So you're in iconic locations, you know, and you are just, you know, keeping it really real.

But then I got to know, I mean, you got any sponsorships now, you know, wardrobe allowance going with those tracksuits because we got to keep it going.

SWEENEY: Yeah. You know, well, you know, I got to say there have been offers that I need to talk about with my editors because I've never really been in this position before. So --

WHITFIELD: Okay. The answer is yes. Go for it. Go for it. It looks good.