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CNN's Breaking News Coverage regarding the Events Post-White House Correspondents' Dinner. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired April 27, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: And welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York.

We are just hours away from the arraignment of the armed man who is accused of trying to storm the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington this weekend. 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen is set to appear in federal court where he'll hear the firearm and assault charges that are being filed against him by federal prosecutors. He's seen here after being taken down by the Secret Service on Saturday night and also stripped of his clothes as authorities searched for weapons or to see if he was wounded during the incident.

We've also learned that the suspect, who is from California, purchased two firearms legally in recent years. You're looking at one of them, that shotgun.

And just before the attack, he allegedly sent a note to family members expressing political anger and plans to target members of the administration. He wrote in that note, quote, "I don't expect forgiveness."

The President, Vice President, as well as other top cabinet officials, they were rushed to safety during that event. But the incident is now raising questions about the event security protocol.

President Trump, speaking with CBS about how Secret Service tried to extract him from the event, he admits that he may have actually made their job slightly more difficult that night. Here's what he told "60 Minutes."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I wanted to see what was happening and I wasn't making it that easy for him. I wanted to see what was going on.

And by that time, we started to realize maybe it was a bad problem, a different kind of a problem, a bad one, and different than what would be normal noise from a ballroom, which you hear all the time. And I was surrounded by great people and I probably made them act a little bit more slowly.

I said, wait a minute, let me see, wait a minute. So, you know, I'm telling guys--

NORA O'DONNELL, CBS NEWS SR. CORRESPONDENT, AND "60 MINUTES" CONTRIBUTING CORRESPONDENT: Just at that moment where it looks like you go sort of down with the service, you were telling them to wait.

TRUMP: Well, I know what happened is then I started walking with them. I turned, I started walking and then said, please go down on the floor. So I went down and first lady went down also.

But we were asked to go down by the agents as I was walking. In other words, I was--

O'DONNELL: They wanted you almost to crawl out.

TRUMP: I was standing up, pretty much. I was standing up and then turned around the opposite direction and started pretty much walking out pretty tall, a little bent over because, you know, I'm not looking to be standing too tall.

But I was walking out. It was pretty, about halfway there, and they said, please go down to the floor. So I dropped to the floor, so did the first lady.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Just a day after the attack in Washington, FBI agents spent Sunday going door-to-door in the suspect's neighborhood in Southern California. CNN's Kyung Lah was there and has more details from the city of Torrance, California.

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KYUNG LAH, CNN SR. INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: As authorities are trying to figure out the timeline of how 31-year-old Cole Allen made it from Torrance to Washington, D.C., we're seeing here on the ground agents go door-to-door. There were a couple of agents talking to neighbors throughout the day at different points of the day, and we overheard them say that they were looking for ring cameras -- ring camera.

That would suggest that they are trying to put together a timeline of his activity and his behavior in the days leading up to this attempted shooting. Let's tell you a little bit about 31-year-old Cole Allen.

He is someone who in his early years appeared to be on his way, went to a very challenging and elite academy, Caltech. Very difficult to get into. He got a degree in engineering, then got his master's degree at another university, and from there he was Teacher of the Month in December 2024 at his part-time job at a tutoring academy.

But authorities say what was happening during this time is something was occurring with weapons. On October 2023, he purchased a handgun, and then two years later he purchased this shotgun.

This shotgun and the handgun would travel with him by rail from Torrance, California to Washington, D.C. We understand that those weapons were stored here in the parents' home, but the parents did not have any idea that this was happening or that the weapons were here. These are weapons that were purchased legally.

[03:05:03]

He is facing some serious charges when he will be arraigned at 9:00 a.m. Eastern on Monday using a firearm during a crime of violence, as well as assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. As far as his mindset, the manifesto certainly is giving a window into political anger, specifically at the Trump administration.

His sister talking to her authorities, her local law enforcement, said that he had increasingly become involved in left-wing activity -- left-wing groups here in Los Angeles, and that he did use those weapons at a local firing range.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Torrance, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: For more on the suspect's upcoming arraignment, now we're joined from Los Angeles by civil rights attorney and legal commentator Areva Martin. Areva, thank you so much for joining us tonight.

AREVA MARTIN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY, AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Hi, Polo.

SANDOVAL: So as of this moment, the gunman is expected to face at least two charges in the morning, among them assault on a federal officer and using firearms during a crime. Areva, what's your assessment of the current case against him and what you see as possible additional charges for the suspect?

MARTIN: Well, I think the current case, the firearm charge and the assault against a federal officer, very strong charges, but where this case is really going is going to be charges against him for attempted assassination of a United States President. Those are very serious charges under federal statutes and carry with them, if convicted, the death penalty.

So I have no doubt, based on the manifesto, based on the language contained in that manifesto that seemed to suggest that this was very much premeditated on the part of Mr. Allen, that those are the charges that we should expect to see in the coming days, if not weeks.

SANDOVAL: That's actually what I was about to ask too, just that hypothetically, the kind of evidence that prosecutors and investigators would have to gather if they wish to bring those attempted assassination charges against this 31-year-old man from California. And again, that's considering what we just heard in the reporting from Kyung and this manifesto that is pretty much allegedly stating that Trump administration officials were his targets. MARTIN: Absolutely. Although he doesn't identify, or what we're being

told, he doesn't identify Donald Trump by name, he does make reference to a pedophile, a rapist, and a traitor, and talks about targeting members of the administration from the top to the bottom, makes references to the fact that other individuals in the hotel may be harmed in the process, but that, in fact, they are essentially collateral damage.

I think the statements in the manifesto about targeting Trump administration officials in this administration are going to be the heart of the prosecutor's case when I suspect that they'll bring these attempted assassination charges against him.

SANDOVAL: There's certainly the motive, but then also the crimes that he's accused of carrying out. So I'm wondering if you could just offer some insight on what is the usual strategy for prosecutors and investigators. Is the priority for them merely to demonstrate that he did what he allegedly, what he's accused of doing on Saturday night, or do they additionally have to also prove motive, what his intentions were?

MARTIN: Not motives, just premeditation, that there was a plan, that there was a strategy, that he had thought about it, and that there were some methodical steps taken to execute on that plan, even though in this case he failed, he didn't reach the ballroom where the President was, he wasn't able to fire any shots towards the President or any of the key administrators, or the key officials in the administration.

But the fact that he planned this, the fact that he wrote out this manifesto, that he purchased weapons, that he traveled across the country to get to the hotel, that he checked into the hotel, that he actually went into the lobby of the hotel and fired the shots at the Secret Service agent, all of those are steps that will be used by the prosecution to demonstrate premeditation on his part.

The evidence is pretty damning, and I think we also, Polo, should make note of the fact that this is the third attempt on Donald Trump, on his life, in just 18 months, raising real questions about security, raising questions about political violence, and what's happening in this country. Now, I know his sister made some statement about him being perhaps affiliated with some progressive or left-wing groups, and I think it's premature to politicize this.

Obviously, there are lots of folks who are progressive, who are not committing political violence, and so we should not, I think, conflate the actions of a violent person like Mr. Allen with all people who belong to or who support progressive politics.

[03:10:04]

SANDOVAL: It is a unique position, too, for the Department of Justice and a team appointed by the President himself, now essentially carrying out potential prosecution of an individual that is alleged, especially when we get to that point, as we just discussed, where we see attempted assassination charges. Obviously, there's the attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which the suspect was shot and killed, did not obviously see prosecution there. But I wonder if we could see the other instance, the other attempt as well, as providing a preview, perhaps, of what could be in store from the prosecution.

MARTIN: Well, I think what we've seen is, again, political violence on the rise in this country, rhetoric about violence being spewed by individuals in both parties, individuals across the political spectrum, who are, in many ways, normalizing this concept of violence against people who, perhaps, hold views that are contrary to your views, and we're seeing very aggressive prosecution against individuals who engage in this kind of, as we should.

We should all be very alarmed by the fact that a sitting President has been the subject of three attempts on his life. I think it's a five- alarm fire for our democracy, and we have to really think about how can we start to tamp down rhetoric about this kind of violence, this political violence that we are seeing proliferate across this country.

SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Areva Martin for that.

And the incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner is drawing some sharp criticism from U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), U.S. HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Here in America, we can have strong disagreements, but it's important for us to agree to strongly disagree without being disagreeable with each other. And it is certainly the case that violence is never the answer, whether it's targeted at the right, the left, or the center.

We have issues that we have to work out amongst each other. That's embedded in the First Amendment that was being celebrated last night. But what is also embedded in the First Amendment is the right to peacefully protest and to petition the government peacefully.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And while some politicians are condemning political violence in America, others are voicing concerns over the security breach near a room filled with top-ranking government officials.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX): The thing that really took away I got was the line of secession. You had the President and the Vice President at the head table, both of them together, and the Speaker of the House had an explosive device gone off, you would have knocked out the President, Vice President, Speaker, the three in line of succession.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, AND "INSIDE POLITICS" ANCHOR: So are you saying they shouldn't be in public together?

MCCAUL: Well, I think the Secret Service needs to reconsider having both the President and vice President together at something like that. Chuck Grassley would be the President had they all been taken out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Earlier, CNN's Elex Michaelson spoke with Professor Barbara Walter of U.C. San Diego. He asked the professor what the statistics show about the current level of political violence that we're seeing in America.

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BARBARA F. WALTER, PROFESSOR AND ROHR CHAIR IN PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SAN DIEGO: There is significantly more political violence happening in the United States today than at any other time in our history. The previous peak was actually around 1995, and some of you viewers will remember Timothy McVeigh's attack in Oklahoma City.

After that, political violence dropped significantly, and it didn't start to rise again until 2008. What was interesting about that was the rise was almost entirely perpetrated by people on the far-right.

That stopped, that ended in 2024, that reversed a bit, and we saw a dip in far-right violence, and we're starting to see an increase from violence on the far-left. And I think what we saw last night is an example of this.

So we are pretty much at a peak for political violence. I don't see it declining anytime soon. In fact, I think all the conditions are there for it to continue to increase over time and those conditions are toxic polarization.

We now are in a situation where most people view citizens from the other party as the enemy. They don't want their kids to marry into that party. And increasingly, especially among the younger generation, violence is being viewed as justified for political reasons.

Add to that that we have a President who seems to stoke violence. He sort of revels in the fight. Setting the tone that violence is perhaps also justified and then there are two other things that are really important.

[03:15:01]

Most domestic violence, most domestic terrorism here in this country is done by young men working alone. So they're lone wolves who've been radicalized online. And again, if guns are easy to access and there's absolutely no regulation of social media, then the combination of this real hatred, political hatred, plus guns, plus easy access to really pretty hateful material online is going to lead to more political violence and not less.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and it's interesting to talk about the history you said there. I know some on the right would say that political violence spiked like around 2020 after George Floyd, with some on the far-left enacting that. But sort of the broader question is, so what do we do about that? Because we're in a situation where, as we've been talking about throughout the night, the algorithm on social media rewards extremism.

It rewards hatred, it rewards conflict, it does not reward compromise or nuance or even love. And how do we as a society address this moment where we are addicted to this and what we're addicted to is really bad for us?

WALTER: Yes, so the single easiest, and this really would be easy, the single easiest thing we could do in this country to tamp down the hate and to reduce violence and to sort of help society come together is to regulate social media, regulate those algorithms. We regulate every other industry that has shown to have negative societal effects, whether that's food or every other type of media or transportation, you name it. We regulate it.

And yet social media and these big tech companies, the five biggest of which are all-American companies, we give them an entirely free pass. And we give them a free pass because after citizens united, which allowed big money to flow into politics, it gave corporations and it gave billionaires unbelievable power and they now have the money to essentially block any regulation. And we, citizens in society, pay the cost of that.

MICHAELSON: And it wasn't a coincidence that at the Trump inauguration, the folks who had better seats than most of the members of Congress were the big tech CEOs, all of whom are based in our home state of California.

Barbara Walter, thank you so much for your perspective. A really important conversation that needs to be continued to try to stop some of this stuff going ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And the entertainer for the evening at the White House Correspondents' Dinner was actually speaking with President Trump when the chaos broke out, performing a magic trick. After the break, we hear firsthand, his firsthand account on what happened.

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[03:20:00]

SANDOVAL: Gunfire outside the Washington Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday. It's raising concerns over the event's security protocols and that includes the safety of First Lady Melania Trump. She and the President, as well as several senior cabinet officials, they were whisked off the stage during the incident.

And while the President's life has previously been threatened by a gunman, marking the first time that the First Lady was by his side during the chaos. During a "60 Minutes" interview with CBS on Sunday, President Trump offering a glimpse into the First Lady's reaction at the moment. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'DONNELL: You mentioned the First Lady, her face, she looked very alarmed. Was she scared?

TRUMP: Well, I don't want to say, and people don't like having it said that they were scared, but certainly, I mean, who wouldn't be when you have a situation like that?

By that time, I think she realized ahead of time that that was more of a bullet than it was a tray.

And she was -- I looked at her face just a little while ago. Before I came, I saw the scene. They played it for me, and, you know, pretty good close-up.

And she looked very upset about what just took place, you know. Why not?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Yes, you can imagine why.

Okay, and as the investigation continues, we are learning more about the suspect and his potential motives. Cole Thomas Allen of Torrance, California, pictured here after officers stripped him of his clothing so they could see if he was carrying any other weapons or if he was wounded. Officials say that he sent a letter to his family detailing his motivation to target Trump officials before the attack.

CNN's Dana Bash spoke with Oz Pearlman, the mentalist, who was performing one of his magic tricks for President Trump right before those shots rang out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: You are leaning down with a card, and you, and we're playing it right now, you're talking to, looks like the First Lady, the President is right next to you, and then, clearly, things got insane. Explain.

OZ PEARLMAN, MENTALIST: Yes, I was performing right then for the President, the Press Secretary, and the First Lady. It's kind of like a pivotal moment in the trick where you're just about to do the reveal of, like, wow, and we hear commotion.

And, you know, in the room, when there's commotion of that sort, you tend to think, we've been to a lot of events, is this a medical emergency? Is somebody having a heart attack? Because you heard a noise.

It wasn't gunshots. I wasn't sure it was a tray. We're also higher than everyone, so we have a very good vantage point versus the thousands of people in the room, and I see everyone swarming one table.

And I'm looking and trying to understand, and then you see people getting down, and I personally thought, like, before I went down, I didn't hear any shots or see what looked like a shooter. I thought there was about to be a bomb. Like, I really very much thought, oh, my God, it's about to explode because of the way that it was being approached.

It wasn't like guns out. It was like to stop someone. So my first panic when you see in the video is looking, and then I go down.

[03:25:04]

One person next to me, I can't remember if it was Courtney, went down quicker than me, and I'm like, I got to get down. Something's about to explode.

It was incredibly surreal, I get down. I kind of get down on all fours, facing left, stage left, and then I watch. It feels like slow motion because of the way the adrenaline is.

So there's Ouija. She was blown away, and she's amazed, and then they rush across to get POTUS, and the President gets, like, taken down by Secret Service, and we don't know what's going on, and he came down.

You can look at the video. I don't know the distance, but less than a foot away from me, I'll never forget the image for my whole life because I'm on all fours, turn like this.

They bring the President down directly in front of me, and we just look at each other for about two seconds, and my mind, obviously, this is, like, a huge adrenaline. It's just like, oh, no. Are we about to die?

I thought it was about to explode, I thought that was really my instinct. Then I heard what sounded like I thought were shots. So at that point, my mind shifted.

I also wasn't sure if he was hurt because his face was not, it wasn't, like, he went down really hard. The Secret Service, it's not, I thought in the movies, I don't know if they take you down easy, it was a tackle.

Like, it was NFL, and that would hurt anyone. I don't care what age you are.

So we were looking at each other. He was just looking, but the expression in his face didn't show whether there was pain or what was going on, and then one Mississippi, two Mississippi, it's like, oh, it's searing my brain. They pick him up, kind of, and they go out, and then we're on all fours, and I see Courtney, and I see one or two of the other people that are at the dais, and we're like, are they shooting?

Like, we don't know what's going on, so I don't want to get up.

So we army crawl. She went first, and the rest of us army crawl out because we didn't want to stand up because I don't want to get hit. I thought there might be somebody still shooting. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Yes, some truly scary moments there.

And a royal visit to Washington, it will go on as scheduled despite the shooting in Washington on Saturday, that's planned for the Britain's Monarchs. It's a four-day trip to the U.S. Don't go anywhere.

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[03:30:00]

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SANDOVAL: Welcome back, you're watching "CNN Newsroom." I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York, and these are today's top stories.

Iranian state media reporting that Tehran's top diplomat is in St. Petersburg, Russia. Abbas Aragchi will be meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin, and he says that the meeting is a good opportunity to discuss developments related to the war.

The King Charles will be in Washington on Monday to meet with President Donald Trump. Buckingham Palace saying that the trip would continue as planned following a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday. The King is expected to meet privately with President Trump and later address Congress.

The man accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner is set to appear in court for his arraignment on Monday. 31- year-old Cole Thomas Allen allegedly sent a note to family members just before the attack expressing political anger and plans to target members of the administration; he's facing federal firearm and assault charges.

Investigators are currently looking into the writings and also the home of the man suspected of opening fire just outside the Washington's White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday. CNN's Brian Todd walking us through the events of that night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chaotic scenes at this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner as U.S. President Donald Trump was rushed off stage after shots were fired in the hotel where the event was taking place. Trump and the cabinet members who attended are all safe and the suspect is in custody.

Here's what we know about how the incident unfolded.

By 8:00 p.m. the ballroom at the Washington Hilton Hotel was full of guests awaiting the night's festivities, 16 minutes later the U.S. President and First Lady took to the stage. So far so normal. At 8:34 p.m. Trump is seen conversing with American mentalist Oz

Pearlman who appears to be showing him a magic trick. And here's where the night takes an unexpected turn.

Outside that room at the security perimeter a man is caught on video charging through a Secret Service checkpoint. In the footage, which was later posted to the President's Truth Social account, Secret Service members can be seen drawing their weapons and pointing them off screen in the direction of the assailant.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Just maybe three, four, five feet away from me, there's a gunshot, a whole bunch of gunshots and someone firing.

TODD (voice-over): Back at the dinner as President Trump makes conversation, a loud noise is heard in the background followed by what sounds like several gunshots. A look of shock clearly passes over First Lady Melania Trump's face.

Eleven seconds after the first noise was heard, Security Service's personnel surround the President. On the other end of the stage, security reached Vice President J.D. Vance who had been seated close to the end and immediately rushed him away.

Seconds later, the Secret Service continues to encircle the President and takes him off stage.

In the moments that follow, members of Trump's cabinet, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin and Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson are seen being escorted through the hotel to safety.

Back inside the ballroom, the shocked guests sheltered at their tables. CNN's Sara Sidner filming this as she did so.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: There was a loud noise. There was a very loud bang. We're not sure what it is.

TODD (voice-over): Attendees, including CNN's Manu Raju and Brian Stelter, trying to make out what had happened.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's unmistakable. It sounded like gunshots that we heard.

TODD (voice-over): The shooter was stopped on the floor above the ballroom. At 8:52 P.M., this video was filmed by eyewitness Bill Frischling, showing the suspect lying face down on the ground, shirtless and in handcuffs.

Sources tell CNN he has been identified as a 31-year-old male from California. It's believed he was working alone.

Almost an hour later, a motorcade believed to be carrying President Trump departed the Washington Hilton. Still later, upon returning to the White House, the President held a press conference, praising law enforcement and calling the presidency a, quote, "dangerous profession." TRUMP: It comes with the territory. And if you want to do a great job,

I really believe that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Historian Tim Naftali spoke to CNN's Elex Michaelson earlier about why many high-profile assassins seem to target U.S. leaders.

[03:35:02]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN, AND FORMER DIRECTOR, NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY: We look at the sad history of attempted assassinations and assassinations of American Presidents. The motives differ.

But what we see in some of the most famous examples was a desire on the part of the assassin or the putative assassin to be a celebrity. Lee Harvey Oswald sought, as you can discover if you look at the Soviet record of what he was saying when he was in the Soviet Union, Lee Harvey Oswald just wanted to be famous.

He wanted to be a world historical person. His first target was a right-wing general. Then he missed that guy, and then he went after Kennedy because he had the opportunity to go after Kennedy.

John Hinckley, he was twisted and ill and desperately wanted to do something for an unrequited lover by making a splash internationally and went after Reagan.

So it depends on the assassin. There's no question that Abraham Lincoln was the victim of a conspiracy in retaliation for the end of the Civil War. That's clear, there is no doubt that John Wilkes Booth was the head of a conspiracy that didn't want to just kill Lincoln but wanted to decapitate the entire government.

But not all Presidential assassins or would-be assassins fit into the same category. What is clear, however, is that in our country, historically, people have sought to use a bullet to alter our politics. And it happens periodically, it should never happen.

But what we're seeing now, Elex, is a cycle which accelerates. There's an accelerant now. More people are doing it more often than we've seen in a short, compact period of time in our history.

MICHAELSON: So what's different now?

And we look at the media, and especially social media set up, that rewards conflict. It rewards hate, it rewards fear, it does not reward nuance and it does not reward bipartisan cooperation.

NAFTALI: We're seeing a monetization of hate. People are making money by a larger number of views, more followers, by provoking, by using apocalyptic, existential language. And when you say to people that there's no alternative, that our democracy is on a knife edge, what you're actually doing is you're changing the moral considerations and saying, you have a moral imperative to act. And for weak minds, ill Americans, if you will, mentally ill Americans, acting could mean using violence. And that's why we should be more careful about the way in which we discuss our political differences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Well, King Charles III and Queen Camilla, they are expected to land in the U.S. on Monday to meet with President Donald Trump. And this despite Saturday night's shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Buckingham Palace saying that the decision came after security discussions were held between American and British officials.

The royal couples, their visit will celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence. The king expected to meet privately with President Trump. And later, the king is expected to address Congress and attend a state dinner.

CNN's Max Foster with our preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: U.K. has been very uncooperative.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.K.-U.S. special relationship isn't feeling that special right now.

TRUMP: The U.K., which we sort of considered the Rolls-Royce of allies, right?

FOSTER (voice-over): Terse words from the U.S. President aimed at the British government. It's military.

TRUMP: I said, you have two old, broken down aircraft carriers. You think you could send them over?

Oh, I'll have to ask my team.

FOSTER (voice-over): And especially the prime minister.

TRUMP: You know, unfortunately, here is not Winston Churchill.

FOSTER (voice-over): In contrast to the warm words for the king.

TRUMP: In fact, the king is coming over here in two weeks. He's a nice guy. King Charles.

FOSTER (voice-over): What's mainly in the king's favor is that Trump has an affinity with the U.K. and the royals. Something the U.K. government seems ready to leverage to emphasize historic links between traditional allies. Having met Trump several times on the President's trips to the U.K., the king knows how careful words and thoughtful actions can diffuse wider tensions.

[03:40:10]

In 2025, Charles presented the President with a bespoke copy of the Declaration of Independence.

FOSTER (voice-over): While Elizabeth II enjoyed largely smooth relations during her seven visits as queen to the United States, welcomed by Presidents from Eisenhower to Bush, Charles is stepping into a far more complicated landscape.

Charles has been playing the diplomatic game for decades now. And what he really takes to Washington is the monarchy's greatest diplomatic asset, soft power. CNN understands he'll reach out directly to the American people, showing the special relationship transcends any single occupant of the White House.

PETER WESTMACOTT, FORMER BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: The king will not be having the kind of conversation with the President or with senior senators and so on that the Prime Minister would. But he's extremely well informed, and it provides an opportunity for private conversations on some really important issues.

And on top of that, there is the celebration of the relationship between the two countries, a great deal of trade and investment, a defense relationship which is extraordinarily important, intelligence which is illicit cooperation, second to none.

FOSTER (voice-over): The king knows that the greatest rupture between the U.S. and U.K. happened 250 years ago, when America walked away from British rule. Now he'll be determined to show the world by making sure he meets a cross-section of American society that the relationship goes far deeper than the current dip in government relations.

FOSTER: The key message for this visit, from the U.K. side at least, is to show that the U.K. is still America's key ally on the global stage, standing shoulder to shoulder. And the determination to make sure this visit carried on after Saturday night's events is really testament to that.

Max Foster, CNN, Washington D.C.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And still ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," Iran ramping up diplomacy efforts in the region as talks with the U.S. stall. We'll bring you the very latest, coming up.

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[03:45:00]

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SANDOVAL: Alright, we now want to get you some new information that's coming out of the Middle East. Iran's state media reporting that Tehran has given Pakistan a list of red lines to be conveyed to the U.S., not related to peace negotiations. And among those non- negotiables, nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, state media also reporting that Tehran's top diplomat is now in Russia and will be meeting with President Vladimir Putin as well as Russia's foreign minister. The goal here is to discuss war developments, among other things, apparently.

Well meantime, plans for another round of potential face-to-face talks between Washington and Tehran remain up in the air. Here's what President Trump had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP (on the phone): We're not doing this anymore. We have all the cards.

If they want to talk, they can come to us or they can call us. You know, there is a telephone. We have nice secure lines.

Although, I'm not sure any telephone line is secure, frankly. But we have secure lines and if they want, we can talk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: CNN's Paula Hancocks is joining me live from Abu Dhabi with the very latest from the Middle East. Paula, so any indication that these two nations are using said secured lines to try to arrange anything?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Polo, we haven't got that indication. There's no clarity on that at this point. In fact, what we did see from the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Aragchi, was after he visited Pakistan, he then went to Oman, the previous mediators between the U.S. and Iran, and then went back to Pakistan once again.

There were hopes that that would signal a move forward. It doesn't appear to have done at this point. And as you mentioned there, he is now in Russia, expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Now, while he was in Pakistan, in Islamabad, we understand that he did put forward some clarity, is the way it's described by Fars News Agency, pointing out exactly what the red lines are when it comes to Iran's negotiation points, and specifically talking about the Strait of Hormuz and also the nuclear program.

Now, we did hear from "Axios" reporter and CNN contributor, Barak Ravid, suggesting that there may be a proposal saying they could talk about the Strait of Hormuz, sort that out, end the war first, and then deal with the nuclear program later on. There's no indication whether or not that would be something the Trump administration would be open to. But now we see the Iranian foreign minister in Russia. It goes to show, once again, just how close those two allies are. They will be specifically talking about the chances of diplomacy between the Iranians and the U.S. They'll be looking at the Strait of Hormuz, the pressures there.

And remember, just last month, CNN had reporting that Russia appeared to be helping Iran when it came to intelligence, when it came to the coordinates of U.S. personnel. So, just to underline the closeness of those two allies.

Now, when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, we have been hearing more from Iranian officials as to their understanding of what a key piece of leverage they now understand that they have.

We heard from the Deputy Parliament Speaker. I want to read you part of his statement saying that the Strait of Hormuz, under no circumstances, would go back to where it was, the previous state. And that has been cited by the Supreme Leader saying that it is his desire that is not to be that way.

Saying it's one of, quote, "the divine blessings of the war that we realized if we place our foot on the throat of the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, 25 percent of the world's economy would be affected."

Bab al-Mandab referring there to the waterway south of the Strait of Hormuz, which runs into the Red Sea. If both of those are closed, it is a crippling effect on the world's economy.

So, it really shows how difficult these negotiations will be going forward when you have Iranian officials pointing out that the Strait will not be going to the state it was in before. The U.S. naval blockade, though, is still very much in place when it comes to this waterway.

We hear from U.S. Central Command that some 38 vessels have been turned back to Iranian ports or redirected as they put this blockade in place. Iran saying for talks to happen, that blockade has to be lifted. Polo.

[03:50:06]

SANDOVAL: Paula Hancocks with that live report from Abu Dhabi. Thank you, Paula.

Russia and North Korea have agreed to sign a five-year plan for long- term military cooperation. That's according to a Russian news agency. Analysts are saying that the plan looks to prepare for the period after the war in Ukraine.

Russia's Defense Minister Andrey Belousov met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on Sunday. He said that relations with North Korea are at a, quote, "unprecedented level." After meeting with Kim, Belousov recognized North Korean troops who have fought with Russian forces against Ukraine in the Kursk region. We'll have the very latest on severe weather impact in parts of the U.S. after the break as intense storms continue to batter central states and a record-breaking drought fueling massive wildfires in the southeast.

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SANDOVAL: Severe storm systems have been tearing through the central U.S. this weekend, generating these rare twin tornadoes spotted by storm chasers in northern Oklahoma on Sunday. Just some incredible video there.

[03:55:00]

They look dangerous, but so far no confirmed injuries or any reports of significant damage because of this. But in Texas, two people were killed and others injured after storms caused widespread structural damage just northwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The severe weather threat is forecast to continue into Tuesday as the system continues to move eastward, bringing risks of heavy rainfall, hail, and damaging winds to a large swath of the Midwest stretching from Chicago all the way down to Memphis.

And wildfires in southern Georgia doubling in size over the weekend as strong winds and ongoing drought conditions continue fueling some of these blazes. One dubbed the Highway 82 Fire, it has already burned over 20,000 acres since igniting last week and is still largely uncontained. More than 120 homes have been destroyed so far with an additional 4000 people under evacuation orders.

Georgia is facing its worst drought on record right now. Officials warning that the fire risk in the region rapidly developing and it could even worsen, and that's if the current dry and windy conditions continue.

Two world records, they have been shattered, at the London Marathon this year. Kenyan runner Sebastian Sawe becoming the first athlete in history to officially run a marathon in just under two hours, the winner of the men's race crossing the finish line in 1:59:30. Sawe telling the BBC that he was feeling strong as he approached the finish line and is also very happy with his victory, and he should be.

As should, women's winner Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia, also setting a new world record. She finished the race with a time of 2:15:41, beating her own previous record. And a big congratulations to over 59,000 runners there at that marathon.

Thank you so much for joining us for this whole hour. "Early Start" begins in just a few moments with Brian Abel. For now, I'm Polo Sandoval in New York, and I'll see you next time.

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