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Britain in High Alert Following Antisemitic Attacks Against the Jewish Community; Funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Finally Passed by Both Houses, Ending the Longest Partial Shutdown in History. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 01, 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]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

U.S. President Donald Trump touts success in the conflict with Iran as he issues a threat to European allies amid disagreements about the war. We'll have a live report from the Middle East.

Plus a look at the potential new military options Trump has on the table. I'll speak with a retired major general.

And Britain is now on high alert for terror attacks after a series of incidents targeting the Jewish community.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: We begin with the war with Iran.

Defiant President Trump is lashing out at the press for their coverage of the conflict and predicting it could end any time soon. The President spoke with reporters in the Oval Office ahead of a Pentagon briefing on updated war plans. He says Iran is dying to make a deal because the U.S. naval blockade is working and Iran's economy is collapsing, but he says there's a little bit of a problem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Nobody knows what the talks are except myself and a couple of other people. They want to make a deal badly. We have a problem because nobody knows for sure who the leaders are.

The average price of a gallon of gas is now $4.30. And you know what? And we're not going to have a nuclear weapon in the hands of Iran.

The gas will go down. As soon as the war's over, it'll drop like a rock. There's so much others.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, the U.S. is pressing foreign governments to join a new coalition to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's leaders are defiant as well.

The country's new supreme leader says foreign actors have no place in the Persian Gulf except at the depths of its waters. Iran's parliament speaker is mocking the U.S. naval blockade, suggesting his country's extensive borders provide plenty of opportunity to circumvent U.S. restrictions.

I want to bring in CNN's Paula Hancocks, who is live in Abu Dhabi. So, Paula, let's start with the latest we're hearing from Washington and Tehran.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, what we're hearing when it comes to the U.S. naval blockade, certainly from the U.S. President, from his administration, is that they believe it is working. This blockade to block Iranian ports, prevent Iranian vessels from being able to transport oil, U.S. Central Command saying more than 40 vessels have been redirected up until this point.

Now, the U.S. President, according to sources familiar, is looking as to whether he can extend this blockade, potentially looking at a longer term blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Now, we saw earlier this week he had a meeting with his economic chiefs, with oil and energy executives trying to figure out how they could lessen the economic impact on the American people by this blockade. But the U.S. President has called this genius, and he has been very clear that he believes it is working.

Now, it's certainly provoking a consistent response from Iranian officials. We have heard from the President, Massoud Pezeshkian, giving a statement. He posted it on X, I want to read part of that to you.

He said, quote, "What is being done under the guise of a naval blockade is an extension of military operations against a nation paying the price for its resistance and independence. Continuation of this oppressive approach is intolerable."

So clearly, this is an economic approach. The Trump administration is very keen on. We know he has been was expected to be briefed on military options, which would be expected in this situation, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: President Trump again expressed his disappointment with his allies. Take us through what he said and the possible consequences.

HANCOCKS: Yes, he's had anger against the United Kingdom, against the European allies for what he sees as not stepping up when he needed help when it came to Iran. The fact is, none of these allies were pre warned. They did not support this war, and they have been very clear that they will not be dragged into the war.

So what we've heard from the U.S. President is that he is now threatening to pull some troops out of Germany. He said that earlier this week. He's now extending that threat to Italy and Spain. Let's listen to some of what he said.

[03:05:05]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Italy has not been of any help to us, and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible. It's not even the fact that it's one thing they said nicely or they said, okay, we'll help, but now it's a little slow. Now, we've seen the spat between U.S. and Germany really reaching new heights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Earlier this week, we heard the German chancellor saying that the U.S. has been humiliated by Iran, pointing to the lack of strategy when it came to this war. We're also hearing what we have been hearing for many weeks and months now as well.

The U.S. President's questioning whether the U.S. should be part of NATO. So this is an ongoing spat that we're seeing between the U.S. and Europe. President Trump is clearly angered at what he perceives as a lack of support.

But many of these countries have said they do not support the war in Iran. And for the U.K.'s point of view, for example, we've heard Keir Starmer saying he's not going to be dragged into reacting in this way. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: I appreciate that. Paul Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, thank you so much.

I'm going to go live now to Brisbane and retired Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan. He's currently a senior fellow for military studies at the Lowy Institute. Thank you so much for being here with us again.

So before we get to the conflict itself, I just want to start where we ended there, the administration floating, pulling troops out of European countries like Spain and Germany because they didn't help with Iran. I mean, if they actually did that, how badly does it destabilize security in Europe?

MAJ. GEN. MICK RYAN (RET.), AUSTRALIAN ARMY: Well, good. I can. This is a pretty big deal.

Actually, NATO's had its ups and downs before the Suez crisis, France leaving it. But this is one of the few times America has expressed displeasure in such a way.

Germany in particular is a central hub for NATO operations and the U.S. presence in Europe. This would be a very important shift.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So I want to go back to that reporting, suggesting CENTCOM has these short and powerful strike plans ready for Iran. I mean, if that actually does happen, what does that look like on the ground? Are we talking sort of what we've seen before, a weekend of precision hits or something bigger, do you think?

RYAN: Well, I think the targets that they'll be looking at probably won't be leadership again. They've tried decapitation that has resulted in a more hardline regime. It's unlikely that they'll get someone softer than they've got at the moment.

They might look at long range missiles that Iran still has. That would be a target set. They might look at ways that Iran would interfere with the Strait of Hormuz with mines, small attack boats.

And finally, there's the obvious target. This is a big card President Trump wants to take away, which is a range nuclear capacity. So all of these would be in consideration.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Maybe I'll ask you about that last one. I mean, there has been a lot of chatter about, sort of, special forces going after that uranium.

Is a mission like that remotely realistic or is it just sort of a loud way of telling Tehran that basically nothing's off the table?

RYAN: Well, U.S. special forces have rehearsed this kind of mission for decades, so nothing is off the table. Indeed, the U.S. military has built up forces since the beginning of the ceasefire, not only just more aircraft carriers, but also more ground troops. I'm sure there are better drone defences in place now.

And I'm sure special forces have been rehearsing for different missions, if that is what the President of the United States decides to do.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So now, I mean, the U.S. has three carrier strike groups in the region, some 27 warships, more than 16,000 sailors and marines. But Iran, I mean, they've been preparing for this.

So who's better positioned right now, do you think?

RYAN: Well, the military stick has not worked so far in achieving President Trump's political outcomes, which is denuclearization, taking away long range missiles and stopping Iranian support for proxies in the region. These are the big three things that the President wants to achieve. Military force hasn't achieved that yet.

He may need to use other means, economic diplomacy and a range of other things to get that job done.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, so on that, the U.S. has sort of tried to peel away Iran's allies, but Iran also doing the same. I mean, it's trying to split opinion among the U.S. allies and the regional partners. I mean, do you think Iran's strategy is working there?

[03:10:10]

RYAN: Well, it's having some success. I mean, Iran hasn't had to do too much to America's allies to cause discord there. I think President Trump and a couple of others have done enough to do that themselves. But Iran has certainly exploited those gaps with its information operations, its Lego videos and these kind of thing, which are very pointed against specific members of the Trump administration.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, I always appreciate your expertise. Retired Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan, thanks again for being with us.

RYAN: Thanks, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: President Trump is criticizing repeated congressional efforts to limit his war powers.

The sixth time a Republican-led Senate on Thursday rejected a measure requiring congressional approval for future military action in Iran. It failed 47 to 50 on a largely party-line vote.

The 1973 War Powers Resolution puts a 60-day clock on the use of military force without congressional authorization. According to the text of the law, the war with Iran hits the 60-day mark today, May 1st. But there's disagreement in Congress over the exact date of the deadline.

Well the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is being tested with reports of deadly new strikes. Lebanon's health ministry says Israel launched attacks in several towns in southern Lebanon, killing at least 16 people over the past 24 hours. In response, Hezbollah said it carried out drone strikes on Israeli soldiers, with the IDF reporting several injuries.

Meanwhile, a funeral was held in Tyre for three rescuers killed by an Israeli strike on Tuesday. Lebanese officials say they were killed in a double-tap strike while helping the wounded.

An Israeli rights group is calling for the release of 14 Palestinian doctors from Gaza. They've been detained by Israel for more than a year without being formally charged, that's according to the Physicians for Human Rights Israel. The group petitioned Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday, alleging that the doctors have been denied proper medical care and food while being subjected to physical abuse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMAD ABU SELMIA, HEAD OF AL-SHIFA HOSPITAL (through translator): As a doctor, I care for the sick and wounded, and the last thing I ever imagined was being in these prisons. The place where I should be is not in prisons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, there is no word yet on when or if the court will take up the petition. Israel's prison service told Reuters it rejects all allegations that the doctors have been mistreated.

All right, a developing story now. The U.K. Metropolitan Police have charged a man in connection with the latest attack on the Jewish community in London. Police say 45-year-old man is facing two counts of attempted murder,

along with other charges, he's set to appear in court in the coming hours. Two Jewish men were stabbed and wounded in North London on Wednesday, rattling the community already shaken by a string of attacks.

Salma Abdelaziz has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Golders Green, North London, known as this city's Jewish heartland. Here, a community is under threat, targeted by anti-Semitic attacks.

The latest declared a terrorist incident, a stabbing in broad daylight on this street that left two Jewish men injured.

Leon, who grew up here, says he feels it's no longer safe to be visibly Jewish.

LEON, COMMUNITY LEADER: A feeling of freedom to walk around as visibly as a Jew that has been robbed of us as of yesterday. And this is the consequences of the government failing its population and not doing enough when all the warning signs were there.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): The morning after the attack, Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with criminal justice agencies to demand a swift and visible response.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: There's no getting away from the fact that this was not a one off. This has been a series of attacks on our Jewish community. And there is a very deep sense of anxiety, of concern.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): While the P.M. scrambled his government, his political rival and right-wing populist Nigel Farage spoke to community leaders at the scene.

NIGEL FARAGE, REFORM U.K. LEADER: Every single time it happens, there are kind words that come from No. 10 Downing Street. Soft words aren't enough. And the government needs to be seen to be very robust.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): When the P.M. did arrive a couple of hours later, he received a much less welcoming response.

ABDELAZIZ: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has just arrived here to reassure the Jewish community that he is doing everything he can to keep them safe. But he has been met by an angry and frustrated crowd. They've been chanting, Starmer, Jew Harmer, they've been calling him a traitor. There is a real sense of anger with the government here in London.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Even with Starmer within earshot, Ruth told us she feels the authorities are deaf to her fears.

[03:15:02] ABDELAZIZ: Why was it important for you to come? Because he needs to hear us.

RUTH, JEWISH FROM LONDON: He needs to hear this is the first demonstration I've been on and I go on many where we're actually angry because we've had enough and we want him to start doing something positive.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): In the last few weeks alone, arsonists have set fire to ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity and two synagogues were attacked in separate incidences that were just days apart. Arrests have been made, legislation is being fast-tracked, and $80 million has been pledged to help fund increased security for Jewish communities. But many here worry that's simply not enough to stop the next act of violent anti-Semitism.

Salm Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Federal prosecutors have released new footage of the moments before the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. They say this video shows the alleged suspect walking through hallways and casing the hotel prior to the shooting.

Prosecutors released another video showing the alleged attacker rushing down the hallway with a shotgun running past the security checkpoint. He was arrested before he made it into the press dinner, which was on a different floor where President Trump and other administration officials were dining.

The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen, will remain in jail as he awaits trial; his lawyers say they won't fight detention as the case proceeds. Allen is set to return to court on May 11th.

Russia's economic lifeline is coming under fire as Ukraine tries to undermine Moscow's war chest. Still ahead, Russian refineries take a pounding at a time when the nation's economy can least afford it.

Plus, Apple's latest earnings call showed growth. Coming up, a look at whether the next CEO will be able to maintain that. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: King Charles is now in Bermuda for a solo tour packed with several events. In the coming hours, he'll attend cultural events, a Coast Guard briefing and speak with Bermuda's premier.

On Thursday, King Charles and Queen Camilla ended a four-day state visit to the U.S. At the White House, President Trump called the British royal a great king. Afterwards, the King and Queen visited Arlington National Cemetery,

where the king laid a wreath and paid respects to fallen service members. Then the royal couple greeted people at a block party in suburban Virginia. The event was hosted by America 250, an organization coordinating the commemoration of America's 250th birthday.

All right, well, have a look at this. It was a truly apocalyptic scene.

This is an aerial view of a Russian oil refinery hit by Ukrainian drones. The witness describes the aftermath as oil falling from the sky. Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea has been hit multiple times in the past two weeks.

This comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin faces some serious economic problem. CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another day, another massive fire at a Russian oil refinery, this time near Perm in the Ural Mountains, the installation hit overnight by Ukrainian drones.

Kyiv has launched a massive aerial war of attrition against Russia's main economic lifelines, oil and gas. A few days ago, drones struck a refinery in Tuapse in the south, leading to a massive toxic blaze that took days to extinguish.

The drone strikes against civilian infrastructure are becoming more frequent, Russian President Vladimir Putin admits. The latest example involves strikes on energy facilities in Tuapse, which could potentially lead to serious economic consequences.

And serious security consequences as well. Moscow announcing it's drastically scaling back the annual May 9th Victory Day parade commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany, just as first rehearsals get underway in the Russian capital.

Vladimir Putin even offering to observe a ceasefire on that day as the Kremlin acknowledges Ukraine's bombardment makes securing a large event unfeasible.

Against the backdrop of this terrorist threat, all measures are, of course, being taken to minimize the danger, the Kremlin spokesman says.

Russia's ongoing combat operations also taking an increasing toll on Moscow's economy, recently contracting.

Videos like these springing up on social media. Olga Sidorova from Chelyabinsk saying she's forced to close down her clothing stores after 16 years.

I started selling clothes in my apartment. Now it's a chain of stores. Everybody knows my stores in the city.

But now the time has come to say goodbye to my so-called child. This is like a little death for me. Again, we invested money.

Tatiana Semkina in Omsk in Siberia, saying she's shutting her cafe after 20 years.

We've run out of energy and no longer have the financial means to continue, she says.

The Kremlin, though, says it still has both the means and the energy to continue what it still calls its special military operation. Vladimir Putin telling U.S. President Donald Trump all of Russia's goals will be achieved.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[03:25:04]

BRUNHUBER: The longest government shutdown in U.S. history is over. We'll look at what lawmakers helped them finally make a deal when we return. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back, I'm Kim Brunhuber. Let's check some of today's top stories.

[03:30:01]

Donald Trump says Iran is dying to make a deal to end the war, but only he and a few other people know the true status of peace talks. The U.S. President went on to say that nobody knows for sure whose Iran's leaders are and the country's economy is crashing because of the U.S. naval blockade.

President Trump is threatening to pull some U.S. troops from Germany, Italy and Spain. He says the NATO allies haven't exactly been on board with the war with Iran. On Monday, Germany's chancellor said the U.S. was being humiliated by Tehran and had no effective strategy for ending the war.

Prosecutors have released new footage of the moments before the shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner. They say this video shows the alleged gunman rushing down the hallway with a shotgun running past the security checkpoint. He was arrested before he made it into the press dinner, which was on a different floor where President Trump and other administration officials were dining.

The U.S. Congress has voted to reopen key parts of the Department of Homeland Security after weeks of Republican infighting. President Trump signed the bill into law Thursday, ending a 75-day record shutdown. In a major win for Democrats, the House passed the Senate's compromise bill, which includes no money for federal immigration enforcement.

Multiple sources tell CNN Speaker Mike Johnson faced a growing revolt from centrists in his party. He decided to move forward with the bill after a private leadership meeting where members warned the situation was untenable.

FIFA's President has reaffirmed that Iran will compete at the World Cup in the coming weeks and will play its matches in the U.S., that's despite the ongoing geopolitical tensions that have cast doubt on the team's participation.

President Trump had previously suggested it would be inappropriate for the Iranians to compete due to concerns for their safety. But after the FIFA chief's remarks on Thursday, Trump appeared to be on board, saying he's okay with it.

Ahead here on CNN Newsroom, if you're feeling like you're paying more for goods, well, you're not alone. Details on new inflation data after the break stay with us.

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[03:35:00]

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. Here are some of today's business headlines.

The Iran war is raising the concerns of central banks in Europe. The Bank of England says it's keeping its benchmark interest rate at a steady 3.75 percent for now, warns borrowing costs could rise if the increase in energy prices continues. And the European Central Bank is holding its rate at two percent, but warns the longer the war continues, the greater the risk of increased inflation and weakened economic growth.

The U.S. Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge at its highest rate in almost three years. The personal consumption expenditures price index rose to 3.5 percent in March, a jump from 2.8 percent in February.

The upswing was expected as the Iran war pushes gas prices up. Triple A says prices at the pump have reached a four year high. National average is now $4.39 for a gallon of regular gas.

Venezuela's acting President, Delcy Rodriguez has raised the country's monthly minimum income to $240. She also raised the monthly pension to $70. And these increases are in response to recent protests by employees who've demanded higher wages. The government has said the average worker was making up to $190 a month before these changes.

Well seems Apple's next CEO will be set up for success in the latest quarterly earnings call. Apple's reported second quarter earnings exceeded expectations with $111.2 billion in revenue. Apple CEO Tim Cook is planning to step down as CEO in September. CNN Business reporter Clare Duffy has more on what else incoming CEO

John Ternus will inherit when he takes over.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: This was a solid quarter for Apple and the big question heading into this earnings report was what is the state of demand for Apple's iPhone 17 lineup, which launched last fall.

And outgoing CEO Tim Cook announcing that there was extraordinary demand for the iPhone 17. This is the second consecutive quarter where Apple saw greater than 20 percent year-on-year growth in iPhone sales. That's a big deal given that the last few years the company has seen sort of rocky iPhone sales that contributed to better than expected sales and profits for the company.

And I'll also say that the services business, things like Apple T.V.- Plus, is also growing at a nice clips up 16 percent year on year. That becomes especially important given that there is an ongoing memory chip shortage that could start to weigh on the margins in Apple's hardware business. Apple is competing with the big A.I. data center makers for those limited chips, and that could raise prices, production prices for its hardware devices.

So the services business kind of helps smooth out that growth curve and help Apple navigate those ups and downs in the hardware business.

Now, Apple last month also announced a number of new devices. The iPhone 17E budget phone, the MacBook Neo, this lighter, lower cost MacBook option. Those could also help grow that services business, bringing more people into the Apple ecosystem.

Now, of course, the numbers here were not the only story.

[03:40:03]

Investors are going to be watching this earnings call very closely as Tim Cook talks about the leadership transition that will happen. His handoff to incoming CEO John Ternus in September.

People are really wondering how this transition is going to happen and what it is going to mean in terms of hardware innovation at Apple. Tim Cook has been an operational mastermind, he has built this ecosystem around Apple's devices.

But by bringing in their top hardware guy as CEO, Apple is really signaling that it wants to get back to its roots in hardware innovation. There are questions around whether it can build the next big A.I. gadget for the A.I. era.

Apple still has been kind of behind in articulating a clear A.I. strategy. So investors certainly will be hoping to get some signs, some signals of the plan for this leadership transition and what we can expect to see from CEO John Ternus when he takes over in September. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Well have a look at this first of its kind discovery. Archaeologists have unearthed an Egyptian mummy with the passage from Homer's Iliad stuck on its abdomen. The mummy was found about 100 miles south of Cairo, it's about 1600 years old from Egypt's Roman era.

Researchers say they're still studying the papyrus and what role it may have played in the funeral ritual. This was one of several mummies found at the site. We don't know a lot about them except that they were wealthy enough to pay for the embalming process.

Well, sky gazers will have the chance to see not one but two full moons in May. The first, known as the Flower Moon, you may have seen tonight. It'll peak at 1:23 p.m. Eastern time on Friday and last through the weekend.

Now at the end of the month, we'll also see a so-called Blue Moon, a full moon at the beginning and the end of one month happens just seven times every 19 years.

Well meet Chunkers, you see him there. He's a giant sea lion that's causing quite a stir in San Francisco. Now, crowds have flocked to the pier to try and catch a glimpse of the massive animal, he's one of at least two unusually large sea lions spotted this month among the smaller ones in the area.

Now, the nearby aquarium says Chunkers isn't actually even full grown yet. He could pack on a few hundred more pounds to weigh close to 1200 pounds. Visitors say even though he's big, he seems like a friendly animal.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE TORRES, CALIFORNIA RESIDENT: He looks, I don't know, like a dangerous huggable, but like, you know, he looks like a Santa Claus version of a seal.

LAURA BRANDEN, CALIFORNIA RESIDENT: I think when we can get in touch with nature, something gets activated and let go in us. So coming here and leaving a few of your cares here seems to appeal to me and a lot of other people because they're here and they want to see the dude.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, the pier's harbormaster says Chunkers likely chose this spot because of the abundance of anchovies and sardines in the water. I guess he had a few too many.

Thanks for joining us, I'm Kim Brunuber. World Sport is next, followed by Amanpour. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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