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King Charles Delivers Historic Address To U.S. Congress; Donald Trump Appears To Reveal King Charles' Views On Iran; UAE To Quit OPEC In Blow To World's Leading Oil Exporters; Authorities Arrest Alleged New Leader Of Jalisco Drug; Former FBI Director Charged With Threatening Trump; Musk Testifies in Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Its Leaders; Ukrainian Drone Strike Causes Fire at Russian Oil Refinery; Senate Rejects Measure to Limit Trump's War Powers Over Cuba; Panini Launches Official Sticker Album for World Cup; PSG Defeat Bayern Munich 5-4 in First Leg of Semifinal; Delta Passenger Gives Birth Mid- flight. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired April 29, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:44]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, King Charles becomes the first British king to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress. Why his speech apparently made President Trump a little jealous.

The UAE is pulling out of OPEC, what that means for global oil markets.

And find out why the judge admonished Elon Musk during his first day of testimony in his lawsuit against OpenAI.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, in just a few hours, King Charles will be leaving Washington and heading to New York for day three of his state visit to the U.S. He and Queen Camilla will attend a wreath laying ceremony at the National 9/11 Memorial, where they will meet with first responders and families of the victims.

On Tuesday, King Charles made history as the second British monarch to address a joint meeting of Congress. In that speech, he pushed back on several points of disagreement with the Trump administration, including offering praise to NATO.

Later, the royal couple honored at a state dinner at the White House where the king gifted President Trump a World War II era British submarine bell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KING CHARLES III, UNITED KINGDOM: The original bell, which hung on the conning tower of your valiant namesake. May it stand as a testimony to our nation's shared history and shining future. And should you ever need to get hold of us, just give us a ring.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Royal Correspondent Max Foster is following the King's visit for us and has more on his address to Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Quite unexpected speech from a British monarch to both chambers of the U.S. Congress. Normally, of course, you expect a monarch to stay out of politics altogether.

But actually, if you watch this from a European point of view, wouldn't have felt particularly political, because issues such as the threat of climate change, defending Ukraine, defense of NATO, defense of the Transatlantic Alliance, are all views, mainstream views, really, from the U.K. and most of Europe. So, it wouldn't have felt political.

But if you're watching it from a U.S. perspective, then it did feel more political, because many of these issues are party political current issues in U.S. politics.

The king didn't cross any constitutional lines here. Yes, he does have to say about the politics of his own country, but America isn't a country where he has subjects. He's speaking to the American people. So, he had a free rein to speak more freely about American politics, and it was interesting to see the king do that, because I can't imagine the queen, his mother, would have done so in the same way, she never expressed any sort of personal opinion.

So, two very different approaches to monarchy here, but I think the king certainly felt positive about the reaction that he got from Congress, because he was getting standing ovations. He sometimes got caught out by that. And a great achievement, perhaps from this speech, was that he seemed to unite a very divided Congress. So, he felt coming away feeling very strong. Didn't appear to have caused any offense to the president, either.

Because even though many people feel as though many of his comments were quite pointed towards him, because later on, we heard it was a great speech, and perhaps he was even jealous of it.

So, an extraordinary day for the king, and actually quite a triumph from the British point of view.

Max Foster, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Matthew Karnitschnig is the editor in chief at Euractiv he joins us now live from Berlin. Appreciate you being with us. MATTHEW KARNITSCHNIG, EDITOR IN CHIEF, EURACTIV: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: Of course. So, the historic speech of King Charles the third touched on politically sensitive issues Tuesday, including a call to support NATO and Ukraine and to protect the environment, but it was his call for checks and balances on executive powers that received a bipartisan standing ovation along with his call for an independent judiciary. What did you think of his speech?

[02:05:09]

KARNITSCHNIG: Well, I also thought it was an extraordinary speech and very deft for that reason, that he managed to really get everybody in this very divided Congress in the United States behind him, and very speech and very deaf for that reason, that he managed to really get everybody in this very divided Congress in the United States behind him, and not just behind him, but to rise to their feet a dozen -- a dozen times, which is something that I can't remember ever seeing being on this scale, even before President Trump.

But as you say, there were some fairly pointed remarks there, if you look at it closely, and I wondered if the Republicans in the room understood what they were standing up and clapping for, or if they were just caught in the moment. And you know, this kind of feel good atmosphere that he created there, also by referring, time and again, to the very close relationship and the shining future, as he said, between the United States and the United Kingdom.

Although it also has to be said, you know, that in his own country, in the United Kingdom, views of the United States under President Trump have deteriorated to a great degree, and last year, we saw a major poll that found that, you know, nearly 60 percent of Britain said they distrusted the United States, and that was before Trump threatened NATO, before he threatened to move in and take Greenland and so forth.

So, you really have to wonder, you know, who this speech was targeting, not just the United States, but maybe also a reminder to his own compatriots back home that this relationship with the United States is actually quite strategic and very important for the United Kingdom as well.

CHURCH: And of course, in response to President Trump's recent attacks on NATO, accusing member nations of not helping the U.S. in its war with Iran, Trump has suggested that the U.S. might leave the alliance. The U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has spoken out against that suggestion, and now, in his address Tuesday, King Charles called on the US to embrace NATO allies to support Ukraine, and said he prayed that calls to look inward are ignored.

How likely is it the President Trump will rethink his approach to NATO as a result of what the king had to say Tuesday?

KARNITSCHNIG: Well, everything we know about President Trump suggests that he is very susceptible to flattery. And it seems that the king is quite good on that front. And you know, this gift of the bell and all of the rhetoric around it was probably quite effective.

I was also struck, though, that the king did not mention another hot button issue, which is Iran, which is another area where the United States and the United Kingdom have a very entwined history, let's say, going back to the coup in Iran in 1953 when they orchestrated the overthrow of the then prime minister, and that led us to this day.

Now, this is obviously a major point of friction at the moment between Keir Starmer and President Trump and Europe writ large. And that is what led, of course, to President Trump calling out the European NATO allies and calling NATO a paper tiger and so forth.

So, I really wonder if, behind the scenes, this issue on Iran, which Trump, in his evening speech at the -- at the dinner said the king agreed with him that Iran should never have nuclear weapons. I suspect that Iran, which didn't feature in the speech in Congress or in the public pronouncements by the king, will be a major subject in the other interactions between President Trump and King Charles.

CHURCH: Right. And of course, after the King's Speech, the White House tweeted out a photo of the President with King Charles and added the caption, two kings. What did you think of that message?

KARNITSCHNIG: Well, this is clearly a provocation aimed at Trump's detractors in the United States who have held a series of demonstrations, anti-Trump demonstrations in recent months, the No Kings rallies, which many people have probably heard of. And they clearly are trying to antagonize them a little bit, or to troll them, as the kids say today. And I suspect that it will work, but I think it was probably meant more in jest.

CHURCH: Matthew Karnitschnig, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

KARNITSCHNIG: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, during the state dinner, President Trump appeared to break with protocol to reveal King Charles' opinions on the war with Iran. Trump says the monarch agreed with him that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon.

So, we do want to bring in CNN's Ivan Watson live from Hong Kong to discuss this. Good to see you, Ivan, so what more are you learning about reaction to President Trump breaking with protocol on the issue of the king's views on Iran.

[02:10:10]

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, he spoke in in the name of King Charles. Let's just get right to that sound bite right now and listen to what President Trump said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're doing very well. We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we're never going to let that opponent ever. Charles agrees with me even more than I do. We're never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: This was the rationale for President Trump when he first launched the surprise coordinated U.S. Israeli bombing attack on Iran on February 28th and President Trump has been declaring victory on almost a daily basis ever since then against Iran.

But right now we're in this kind of limbo period where the kinetic part of the conflict has come to an end with President Trump extending what was initially a two week temporary cease fire indefinitely, and instead, we have the two adversaries engaging very much in economic warfare with this double blockade of the Gulf. Iran not allowing ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, hundreds of which are trapped in the Gulf, and thus having an impact on global energy prices and the U.S. continuing its blockade of Iranian ports.

And to that end, we saw us, Central Command putting out fresh videos, for example, of Marines helicoptering onto the deck of a container ship that they briefly detained and then allowed to go after having confirmed, according to the U.S. military, that this ship was not bound for any Iranian port.

We know that the U.S. military has detained and remains in custody at least three ships at this time. And in another announcement, Central Command declared that it was seeing many more ships in the Iranian port of Chabahar, more than 20 vessels currently anchored there, when, before the war, there might have been five there, and that demonstrating is evidence of the success of its blockade of Iran.

There are perhaps hopes we're hearing from sources familiar with the mediation efforts in Pakistan, that perhaps Iran might come back with a fresh proposal after President Trump reportedly rejected a previous proposal that called for negotiation of peace and then discussion of Iran's controversial nuclear program down the road.

And if we can interpret President Trump's statements next to King George, he's once again bringing emphasis to that nuclear program, which was his justification for the attack on Iran in the first place.

CHURCH: Ivan Watson bringing us that live report from Hong Kong. Many thanks.

Well, global oil markets are facing another hurdle after the United Arab Emirates announced it will leave OPEC this week. Oil prices remain high after the news. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark rose to $111 a barrel Tuesday.

CNN's Eleni Giokos has the latest now from Dubai. Good morning to you, Eleni. So, what more are you learning about the UAE's decision to leave OPEC, and what impact will this have?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rosemary. And yes, I mean, this was a shock announcement by the UAE ending its almost 60- year relationship with OPEC, which, of course, we know, has been dubbed as an oil cartel. It influences the price of oil by adjusting supply depending on where oil prices stand.

But the UAE has been, you know, at actual loggerheads with OPEC in terms of the quota that was given to the UAE. They're allowed to pump out around 3.4, 3.5 million barrels of oil per day, but they have production capacity of around five million barrels of oil per day, but they have to adhere to the quota system that is put forward by OPEC, and that's how OPEC, basically, you know, decides in terms of how to manage the oil price.

So, when prices are super high, what you see OPEC do is start increasing production through its member states, and when prices get too low, and a lot of oil producing countries start feeling the pressure in terms of low oil prices, then OPEC has the ability to activate a mechanism to start pulling back and restricting oil production.

What we've seen now is this long standing relationship coming to an abrupt halt. It's coming into effect on the first of May, and keeping in mind that Abu Dhabi joined OPEC in 1967, so we're talking about a long standing relationship here.

[02:15:06]

Importantly, this is what the UAE says, that they've made great and significant contributions during their time at OPEC, but even greater sacrifices, and they say for the benefit of all but they want to now focus on national interests.

The UAE has spent billions of dollars in increasing capacity, and now it seems what's catalyzed this decision is because of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and because the UAE, like many other Gulf nations, haven't been able to export all their oil to the international market.

So, this crisis has now made the UAE, you know, look internally to see what happens the day after, and that means more oil from the UAE. What happens to oil prices? You know, a lot of experts saying nothing in the short term, because the Strait of Hormuz is still closed. There's still no definitive answer in terms of the war in Iran, but when we start to see the UAE, you know, producing more, it could have an impact. The other question is, will other countries that are part of OPEC follow suit and also decide to leave that could have a significant impact on the supply scenario in the oil market?

CHURCH: Eleni Giokos in Dubai, with that live report, many thanks.

Israel is still conducting strikes in Lebanon despite the current cease fire. Lebanese authorities say at least eight people were killed in the south of the country on Tuesday. The Israeli military claims it has destroyed underground tunnels belonging to the Iran backed Hezbollah, the IDF shared images of the purported tunnels which reportedly house weapons and explosives. CNN cannot independently verify the IDFs claims, nor the images.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the terms of the US brokered ceasefire allow Israel to take military action against perceived threats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Today, we blew up a massive Hezbollah terrorist tunnel. We are destroying their terrorist infrastructure. We are killing scores of terrorists. And we are not done yet. We are operating within the security zone south of the Litani, north of the Litani, in the back of Litani and in northern Lebanon.

A few weeks ago, I gave the directive for a special project to eliminate the drone threat. It will take time, but we will blow that up too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The Mexican government has dealt another blow to a powerful drug cartel. Still to come, how the latest arrest of an alleged Jalisco cartel leader may affect security just months before Mexico hosts the World Cup.

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[02:21:59]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The Trump administration is temporarily pausing decisions on immigration applications to ensure they meet new security check guidance. Immigration officials say the move will strengthen the vetting and screening of applicants to root out cases of fraud or abuse. A source familiar with the effort says decisions will resume once U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services run security checks on applications granted prior to this week.

Mexican authorities have arrested a man identified as one of the alleged leaders of the Jalisco, new generation cartel. This comes two months after the fall of the man known as El Mencho, considered for years to be the top leader of the drug organization. CNN's Valeria Leon reports from Mexico City.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Burnout businesses, streets filled with smoke is the scene in the Mexican state of Nayarit after local authorities dealt what they're calling a second major blow to the Jalisco new generation cartel, one of the country's most powerful criminal groups.

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Because of what this individual represented in terms of extortion, theft and drug trafficking.

LEON (voice-over): Audias Flores Silva, better known as El Jardinero, was arrested Monday during a military operation in western Mexico. Video released by authorities shows the moment Flores Silva was detained right after emerging from a drainage ditch. Forces moving in, handcuffing him underground. He's believed to be a key figure in the organization formerly led by

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, who was killed two months ago during another operation. His detention has sparked a new wave of violence in tourist hot spots like Puerto Vallarta, the latest in a series of incidents that local officials are now trying to dismiss.

MIGUEL ANGEL NAVARRO, NAYARIT GOVERNOR (through translator): Educational, commercial and social activities are continuing in full peace.

LEON (voice-over): With less than two months before Mexico co-hosts the World Cup, scenes of military operations and violence have renewed concerns worldwide.

NATALIA LOPEZ, JALISCO RESIDENT (through translator): How is it possible that more attention is being given to the world cup that's coming when insecurity among young people has already. Already increased by 30 percent.

LEON (voice-over): In Guadalajara, one of the host cities, insecurity is already a major issue. According to a national survey, more than 90 percent of residents say they feel unsafe.

CHRISTIAN DIAZ, JALISCO RESIDENT (through translator): Violence is definitely increasing. You can see it every single day.

LEON (voice-over): And for the millions of visitors expected for the World Cup, it raises a broader question, how safe will this global stage really be?

[02:25:02]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Regarding the World Cup, all security protocols are ready. We've been working on them for over a year.

LEON (voice-over): But as this war against the cartels intensifies, so does the uncertainty over what comes next.

Valeria Leon CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Indicted over seashells. The U.S. Justice Department calls it a threat by the former FBI director against President Trump. Our James Comey is responding. That's just ahead.

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[02:30:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Welcome back, everyone. An arrest warrant has been issued for former FBI Director, James Comey. The U.S. Justice Department announced his indictment on Tuesday on charges that could land him in prison for 10 years. The case stems from a social media post showing seashells on a beach spelling out 86 47. The DOJ says 86 is a threat to kill Donald Trump, the 47th president. Comey posted a video response on his Substack account.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES COMEY, FORMER FBI DIRECTOR: Well, they're back, this time about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina beach a year ago. And this won't be the end of it. But nothing has changed with me. I'm still innocent. I'm still not afraid. And I still believe in the independent federal judiciary. So let's go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN Senior White House Correspondent, Kristen Holmes picks up the story from when Comey posted the seashell picture in May of last year.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: At the time, Republicans claimed that Comey was intentionally trying to incite violence against the president. And I will tell you what I'm talking to sources today. They are linking this, at least abstractly, to what happened over the weekend, saying that they are trying to basically make sure people are not using rhetoric that is seen as incendiary towards the president of the United States.

Now, of course, this is the second time they have indicted Comey. The first time was over lying to Congress over leaked information to the press. A judge had thrown that out over the U.S. attorney, Lindsey Halligan, saying that she had been appointed improperly at the time.

It does feel as though, given the timing, that this is the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, revisiting this case and specifically revisiting cases that the president has against people he has grievances with. He's obviously had fallen -- or Comey had fallen out of favor with President Trump before he was elected the first time, and he considers him a political enemy.

We know that this has been something that President Trump had been focused on. And now, of course, it is back. Now, a secondary set of charges, again, not the same as the lying to Congress, but about that social media post.

Now that we have this incident that happened over the weekend, when I am talking to sources about this, they are showing or trying to point to those events to show that the words of Democrats or, in this case, of a former FBI director have weight, that people listen to them, that that it really does, you know, mean something when you put words down that they can incite violence.

Now, whether or not a judge agrees to that, we'll obviously have to wait and see. But that is the kind of thing I am hearing right now from Republicans when it comes to what we saw over the weekend. And now with this, that they are going to be going after people who they believe are using rhetoric that incites violence. CHURCH: Joining me now is Jessica Levinson, Professor of Law at Loyola Law School and Host of the "Passing Judgment" podcast. Appreciate you being with us.

JESSICA LEVINSON, PROFESSOR OF LAW, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: Great to be here.

CHURCH: So former FBI Director, James Comey is expected to turn himself in later this week after a warrant for his arrest was issued Tuesday by President Trump's Department of Justice. Comey was indicted over a 2025 social media post allegedly threatening Trump with a photo of seashells arranged to say 86 47.

So what is your response to this? And will it hold up in court?

LEVINSON: So I think that this is going to be an uphill battle in court because, as you said, the charges are based on a social media post that says 86 47. And so what we have to interpret is that that means kill or bodily harm the president of the United States. And in fact, there's two charges here.

And one is a federal statute that deals with threatening to kill or inflict bodily harm on the president or the vice president. The reason that I think it's an uphill battle is, one, 86 47 can be open to some interpretation. And two, there's a very strong First Amendment defense in this case.

So, we all know that the First Amendment in the United States' says Congress shall make no law essentially burdening the freedom of speech. But there is all these exceptions. So one of those exceptions is a true threat. And, Rosemary, the last thing I would say is that category of speech that would fall under the federal statute charged and that's at issue here is actually quite narrow.

And it generally depends on a very specific and particular threat that causes somebody immediate concern.

[02:35:00]

And I'm not sure that the social media post rises to that level.

CHURCH: Right. Of course, he took it down as soon as he found out that there was a problem with it. But Comey says that he is innocent and not afraid, and says he still believes in an independent federal judiciary while acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says the indictment is not political. What do you say to that?

LEVINSON: So I think what we have to look at is the context here. This is the second time that James Comey has been indicted. We know that he was indicted for alleged different crimes the first time around, dealing with purported false statements to Congress. That indictment was actually thrown out because of a problem with the appointed federal prosecutor.

In this case, now we have a different indictment also against, let's be honest, one of the president's enemies. So I think what we have to look at is that the president has used the Department of Justice in some instances to go after his political enemies.

This is the second indictment of one of those enemies. And the first one not only cratered in court, but there was reporting that the career Department of Justice prosecutors did not want to move forward with that case because they thought it was a weak case. Here again, I think we see, frankly, a pretty weak case against James Comey.

CHURCH: And Comey's post is, of course, as we pointed out a year old. So why do you think this is happening now?

LEVINSON: So I mean, the timing is always hard to guess. I think that to me, the more interesting question, of course, is the decision to go after James Comey at all. I don't mean that the timing isn't important. I just mean that we're looking at a situation where I think the best way to analyze it is, are people typically indicted on federal charges for these types of posts?

And I think the answer is no, because we have this really robust First Amendment protection, which frankly says the people that we want you to be free to criticize the most are government officials, because we know they're going to have the greatest incentive to try and silence us. And that's really what I see when I think about this indictment.

CHURCH: And Jessica, we do, of course, see 86 47 and 86 46 merchandise all over the Internet. The number 86, as you pointed out, generally considered a slang word for the rejection of something or someone. So at what point would anyone consider this to be a call to assassinate a president and certainly with this merchandise all over the place?

LEVINSON: So I think that that's part of the reason why this is, in my view, a difficult case for prosecutors, because they're going to have to draw a line and say that there is this phrase. It's certainly out there broadly. And frankly, I think it's open to interpretation as to exactly what it means. And they're going to have to say it was a specific message to kill or inflict bodily harm against the president.

And so, I think your question is pointing out something important, which is this is a phrase that's commonly used that's slang. And maybe it might not have the same type of specificity that, frankly, we need under this federal statute to have a conviction. So you have both proof of the actual crime, I think, is difficult, and then you have those really strong First Amendment defenses that we've been talking about.

CHURCH: Jessica Levinson, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your expertise on this matter. Appreciate it.

LEVINSON: Thank you.

CHURCH: Tech billionaires, Elon Musk and Sam Altman are facing off in court over the future of OpenAI. Musk is set to resume his testimony in the hours ahead. He filed the lawsuit accusing his OpenAI Co- Founder, Sam Altman, of betraying the company's original non-profit mission.

CNN's Hadas Gold has details from outside the courthouse.

HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT: Elon Musk warned a jury here in Oakland, California, that A.I. could kill us all. And he wanted to avoid a Terminator-style outcome for all of humanity, partly by helping to found a non-profit open source A.I. research foundation that became OpenAI.

He walked the jury through his version of founding OpenAI, saying it partly came after a disagreement with Google Co-Founder, Larry Page, who he says called him 'a speciesist' for being pro-human. Elon Musk saying he wanted to found an open source non-profit counterbalance to what he said was Google's closed source for-profit company.

He also warned that if he loses this case, which of course rests on whether OpenAI deceived him and unjustly enriched themselves after he helped co-found and fund the company, when they switched over to having a for-profit subsidiary. He said that if he loses, it will give license to looting every charity in America.

[02:40:00]

Now, what was interesting today is also the judge in this case, she reprimanded Elon Musk for his social media activity. Musk, of course, is a prolific poster on his social media platform, X. He's been posting a lot about this trial, as recently as Monday, calling Sam Altman "scam Altman."

But the judge told him to stop doing that immediately. She said, try to control your propensity to use social media to make things worse outside this courtroom. Perhaps you've never done that before. Musk and all of the other parties in this case did agree to stop posting about the trial.

Elon Musk will continue his testimony tomorrow. We will also likely get the chance to hear the defense cross-examine Elon Musk. And then we will go on to the other witnesses, which could include the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, as well as other major figures in the tech scene.

This trial will go on for several more weeks. And should Elon Musk win, it could have drastic effects, not only on OpenAI, but on the entire landscape of the A.I. industry.

Hadas Gold, CNN, Oakland.

CHURCH: An ecological disaster is forming along parts of Russia's Black Sea after repeated attacks on an oil refinery and a slow response from the Kremlin. We'll have details after a short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:54]

CHURCH: The mayor of Kyiv says two people were injured in a Russian drone attack. This was a rare daytime strike on the Ukrainian capital. These types of attacks usually take place at night when the drones are tougher to detect. Residents described the scene on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I was here somewhere on that corner. When I heard it started diving, I ran. And when I ran to the parking, there was already an explosion. When I opened the door, the blast wave had already pushed me in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It is spring, but it is war. We are ready for this considering that it is happening every day. There are no safe places anywhere, neither in Kyiv, nor in Ukraine, nowhere. We simply didn't reach the shelter in time. We usually go, we have a shelter in our building.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile Russian officials say a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a major fire at an oil refinery in a Black Sea port city. Ukraine's military confirmed the strike, a third in less than two weeks. Russia's president is denouncing the attack even as Russian strikes bombard Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Drone strikes against civilian infrastructure are becoming more frequent. The latest example involves strikes on energy facilities in Tuapse, which could potentially lead to serious environmental consequences. However, the governor has reported that he is on the scene, or at least was there a couple of hours ago. And it appears there are no serious threats. People are dealing with the challenges they face on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Clare Sebastian has further details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the aftermath of a strike Ukraine says it carried out Tuesday on a Russian oil refinery. Tuapse on Russia's Black Sea coast already the scene of an unfolding environmental disaster after two previous attacks on the same refinery over the past two weeks.

CNN has verified this footage showing oil has already leaked into the Tuapse River and the Black Sea. This satellite image from Sunday shows traces of oil reaching at least 50 kilometers from the shore according to CNN's analysis. Here you see the black residue on the beach. And heavy rain last week turned toxic, residents reported, blanketing cars and streets in oily grime.

This is oil says this girl, showing off her dirty hands. It's everywhere. Local officials say the cleanup is happening around the clock, but volunteers are also mobilizing, several reporting a lack of coordination and a slow response by authorities. EVGENY VITISHKO, ECOLOGIST, OPPOSITION PARTY MEMBER: It's a real environmental catastrophe, regional in scale at a minimum. There hasn't been anything like this for several years.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): President Putin has now dispatched the Head of the Emergencies Ministry to coordinate the fire response. No mention by the Kremlin of the environmental consequences or potential risks to health.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: An opposition leader in Cuba says the Cuban people are demanding freedom. Still to come, what she told CNN about the Trump administration's pressure on the Cuban government. Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:51:25]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The U.S. Senate has rejected a measure aimed at restraining President Trump's unilateral war powers regarding Cuba. Now, this comes as the Trump administration's rhetoric directed at the communist island has grown more hostile.

Senate Democrats are vowing to continue forcing votes on the issue. They have already tried and failed several times in recent weeks to check Trump's war powers over the war in Iran. Democratic Senator, Tim Kaine told reporters his party is trying to stop the president from "dragging us into unproductive wars."

Well, the daughter of one of the most celebrated dissidents in Cuba says she supports all forms of pressure that the Trump administration can bring to bear on the Cuban regime. She told CNN's Boris Sanchez that the Cuban people are demanding freedom.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA MARIA PAYA, CUBA OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): A Delcy Rodriguez is not needed in Cuba. We Cubans are perfectly prepared. A democratic alternative already exists for Cuba. We have a plan.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Cuban opposition leader, Rosa Maria Paya says the island doesn't just need a new economy, it needs a new republic. Unlike Venezuela where Washington is working through existing authoritarian leadership, she says Cuba already has an alternative plan toward democracy, a four-step proposal signed by opposition groups earlier this year called the "Freedom Accord."

MARIA PAYA (through translator): Nothing changes in Cuba unless there is political change. There is not a single reason why we Cubans cannot have our own political parties, our own newspapers, hold private property, be able to enter and leave the country freely, and be able to say whatever we want within our own country. None of that costs money. Why must we Cubans settle for less? SANCHEZ (voice-over): That question is one her father died trying to answer. Oswaldo Paya, one of Cuba's most celebrated dissidents, died in a 2012 car crash. International human rights investigators concluded that Cuban authorities were responsible, a finding the government in Havana rejects, claiming his death was accidental.

[Foreign Language]

While Oswaldo Paya explicitly opposed any military intervention in Cuba, his daughter says she backs all forms of pressure from the Trump administration. Though she is demanding a peaceful transition, she argues the Cuban government should be held responsible for any violence.

MARIA PAYA (through translator): This conflict is between a group of military officers who have hijacked our state, plunged our people into misery, and divided our nation. And an entire people who are tired of this fraud and wish to move forward into the future in freedom. Our people deserve the solidarity of the United States.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): I also asked Paya whether she believed Trump's policy was making life worse for ordinary Cubans, as critics including lawmakers and influencers who recently met with President Diaz-Canel in Havana argue that Cuba's crisis has been driven by U.S. sanctions and the embargo.

MARIA PAYA (through translator): The propaganda of the Cuban dictatorship is what has been predominantly known about the reality of our country over the last 60 years. So to all those who are viewing our country through lenses shaped by U.S. foreign policy or by ideology, propaganda, or whatever history they may have heard regarding our reality, please listen to the Cubans in the streets. Those Cubans are demanding freedom.

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CHURCH: The official 2026 World Cup sticker album is here. Panini is an Italian sticker and sports training card company and official FIFA partner. It launched this year's sticker book Tuesday at an event in London. Because the tournament has expanded from 32 to 48 qualified teams, the album is bigger than ever. It has 112 pages with a total of 980 stickers to collect.

European giants Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich delivered a high-scoring thriller during the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal. CNN's Don Riddell has the highlights.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: You know, the Champions League semifinals are played over two legs, but we got a game and a half on Tuesday night. An incredible match, leaving Paris Saint-Germain with a slight edge over Bayern Munich. Buckle up. Watch this.

First blood to Bayern, leading through a 17th minute penalty from Harry Kane. He doesn't miss often and that was expertly dispatched to the bottom corner. But PSG weren't behind for long. The reigning European champions leveled through a very well-taken strike from Kvara. The action already breathless and we were just getting started.

33rd minute, PSG got themselves ahead thanks to the deftest of headers from Ruben Neves, but there was still so much more to come. With half- time approaching, Bayern got themselves back into it with a superb strike from Michael Olise. He cut right through the heart of the defense and smashed it home.

But moments later, a controversial penalty helped the pendulum swing back in PSG's direction. The Ballon d'Or winner, Ousmane Dembele on target from the spot. And that was the launchpad for PSG in the second half. Kvara piled more misery onto Bayern, making it 4-2. And the game had barely restarted from that.

And Paris scored again, a second on the night for Dembele. PSG now 5-2 ahead. It was incredible. And still half an hour left to play. Plenty of time for Bayern, who scored a third goal through Dayot Upamecano. With the wind at their backs, they pushed for another, check this out, from Luis Diaz. What a finish, 5-4, that's how the game finished on the night. An incredible match, an instant classic.

They will go again in the second leg next week. The second semifinal will kick off in Madrid on Wednesday, when Atletico host Arsenal. It can't possibly be as good as that. Can it? Back to you.

CHURCH: Well, a Delta flight from Atlanta to Portland, Oregon, had an unexpected arrival Friday night. A baby girl was born mid-flight after her mom unexpectedly went into labor. Luckily, two paramedics were on board and volunteered to help.

They improvised by borrowing blankets from other passengers and a shoelace to tie off the umbilical cord. The flight landed shortly afterwards. Both mother and baby are reportedly doing well.

A nice, happy story. Thank you so much for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more "CNN Newsroom" after a short break. Stay with us.

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