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Iran Reimposes Restrictions On The Strait Of Hormuz; Devastating Damage Reported Across Multiple States; Singer D4vd Arrested On Suspicion In Death Of 14-Year-Old Girl; Report: Iranian Gunboats Fired On Tanker In Strait Of Hormuz; Oil Prices Fall, Stocks Rise On Hormuz Strait Reopening; Pope Leo Heads To Angola On Historic Africa Tour; Trump Admin. Cancels Catholic Charities Contract In Miami. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired April 18, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Welcome back to CNN THIS MORNING. Here's what's happening right now. Iran says it is reimposing restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz. This is after what it called repeated breaches by the U.S. over the naval blockade. We're live in the region with new details.

We've got houses down. This is massive. We've got vehicles. We've got vehicles here.

BLACKWELL: Destructive tornadoes ripped through the central U.S., Friday. Dozens of homes damaged. That system now pushing east this morning. Allison Chinchar is tracking that.

And singer D4vd has been arrested for suspicion of murdering a 14- year-old girl. His lawyers are fiercely denying he had anything to do with it. What they had to say when CNN reached them for comment.

Plus, the Archdiocese of Miami is urging the Trump administration to reconsider its decision to pull millions of dollars in funding from the charity. The archbishop of that area joins us later this morning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL (on camera): Saturday, April 18. Top of the hour. I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to have you along.

And we're starting with the breaking news on the war with Iran. This morning, Iran's military says it is now reimposing restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz. They're alleging repeated breaches of trust by the U.S. regarding the current ceasefire. Both nations claim the Strait was open on Friday.

Iranian media stated that there would be a no -- there would be null and void if the U.S. naval blockade continues. Now, all of this is happening as the U.S. and Iran prepare to meet in Pakistan early next week for another round of negotiations to try to end the war. But President Trump is already putting a clock on the talks. He said last night that if the deal is not reached, he may not extend the ceasefire at all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Maybe I won't extend it. But the blockade is going to remain. But maybe I won't extend it. So, you'll have a blockade. And unfortunately, we'll have to start dropping bombs again. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you. I think it's going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: We're covering all angles with CNN's Nic Robertson in Islamabad and CNN's Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem. Nic, you're first. What do we know about the talks?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The big picture is this. President Trump has sounded positive, although slightly less positive -- a bit more cautious just there, as we heard him. The Iranian foreign minister has said that they are inches away from getting a deal.

The Pakistan foreign minister and, of course, Pakistan being the interlocutor here, said 80 percent of the deal has been done. But it really hit a rocky moment yesterday after the Iranians announced -- their foreign minister announced that opening of the Strait of Hormuz under strict control of the IRGC, the hardline military group in Iran. And there was a lot of pushback inside Iran that the foreign minister hadn't really been tough enough in explaining the opening.

And then you had President Trump's response, saying that the U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz was going to remain in place. And that produced a big negative reaction inside of Iran. And you had hardline voices saying that, well, if that blockade -- the U.S. blockade remains, then we're going to close it again and reimpose ours. And that is what has happened in the past couple of hours here.

You also have pushed back in detail to what President Trump was saying yesterday. President Trump was saying on Truth Social that the Iranians had agreed never to have nuclear enrichment, never to -- and to allow the United States to come and get what he called the nuclear dust. Now, Iran's top negotiator, the speaker of parliament, pushed back and said President Trump is lying on seven different accounts, including those two I just mentioned.

And he said lies will not lead to a deal. And in the last hour or so, some of the, again, hardline voices in Iran are suggesting the Iranians won't come to talks next week in Islamabad. I think the underlying expectation is that they will.

[07:05:02]

And what we're seeing in part in Iran at the moment is what we've seen historically, the hardliners and the more moderates in a clash. But, of course -- and the moderates being the ones that are coming to do the negotiation. Both the foreign minister and the speaker of parliament criticized for the concessions they apparently made last weekend.

It's a difficult moment, obviously, in Iran, because it has been decimated at a leadership level. So, who really is in control? This is something people talked about potentially being an issue. And I think we're seeing that unfold here.

But the path to diplomacy is there. The expectations on both sides that is still pretty close is there. There's a deadline there. And this is what diplomats who do negotiations will tell you if both sides believe it can be done and you have a deadline, that's the method to getting it done. Clearly, it will actually happen. But we seem to be on the pathway to it.

BLACKWELL: All right. On the pathway. Nic Robertson for us there. Thank you so much.

Meanwhile in Lebanon, displaced civilians -- they're being traveling begin traveling back, I should say, home as the ceasefire takes effect. But Israel says it will impose a yellow line that bars residents from returning to areas still occupied by Israeli military in Southern Lebanon. Let's go now to Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem. Talk to me about these restrictions that Israel is imposing.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Israel has made clear that it is hanging on to a large swath of land in southern Lebanon, some ten kilometers from the Israel-Lebanon border. A lot of that south of the Litani River. Within that territory is 55 Lebanese villages, which the Israeli military says Lebanese civilians will not be allowed to return to.

There's more than a million people displaced in Lebanon since the start of the war with Iran, some six or seven weeks ago. So, this is a major effectively spot where the Israeli military is putting its foot down or at least trying to, while Lebanon says it will be possible to return to villages. So, we need to see how that particular element of it -- element of it plays out here in the next few days of this -- of what's being called a 10-day temporary ceasefire.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military is referring to this as a new yellow line. The yellow line is in Gaza, separating the half controlled by Hamas from the half that's occupied by Israel. It's an indication of how Israel views this territory as land it will continue to hold.

The question is for what length of time. Is this months? Is this years? Is this essentially going to remain occupied territory? So, that's all part of this.

Meanwhile, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who had declined to take a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said it is a major moment here where he is taking responsibility. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOSEPH AOUN, PRESIDENT, LEBANON (through a translator): I am ready to bear the full responsibility of these choices. And I am ready to go wherever necessary to liberate my land, protect my people, and save my country. Today, we negotiate for ourselves and decide for ourselves. We are no longer a card in anyone's game, nor an arena for anyone's wars. And we never will be again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMANN: President Donald Trump, who was unable to make the call happen between Aoun and Netanyahu, says he'll work towards having them both there for a direct meeting, the first in decades, that would be in Washington as he tries to push forward not only a ceasefire agreement to end the war, but a much broader peace agreement. Still, that remains incredibly difficult. Lebanon has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and carrying out a strike on Friday noon after the ceasefire went into effect that killed one person there.

We have reached out to the Israeli military for comment. But these are still difficult times and difficult negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. Trump got to a ceasefire, and he made clear he expects that to say -- to stay. In fact, he insisted on his social media that Israel is prohibited from bombing Lebanon now. But we'll see where this goes from here in terms of trying to reach a final agreement.

BLACKWELL: It's all holding, but all very tenuous. Oren Liebermann for us there in Jerusalem. Thank you.

This morning, cities across the U.S., specifically central U.S., are cleaning up after severe storms and tornadoes. This system affected more than 50 million people. Damage reported in Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota. Specifically in Ringle, Wisconsin, a tornado ripped roofs off homes and elementary school was badly damaged. Illinois was hit hard, too.

This drone video shows the damage in Lena, about two hours from Chicago. Sheriff says that homes and businesses were badly damaged, including that house with the roof gone. So far, no deaths have been reported. CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here. Threat continues today.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It does. The same system -- it's just moving off to the east. Now, it is going to be slightly weaker than it was yesterday, but not a zero. OK? So, we do still have the potential threat.

And look at what has happened over the last 24 hours. These are all the storm reports that have come in across the area. Again, you're talking more than 360 total reports. That includes tornadoes. That includes damaging wind. That includes hail, some of which were the size of tennis balls.

[07:10:03]

Here is a look at where that line is. Now, we do still have some rain in Michigan, which is the last thing that area needs. But the strongest storms are really focused farther down to the south.

This is where we've had at least a few isolated severe thunderstorm warnings so far, the last few hours. We still have a couple down there across portions of Central Texas. That is going to be one of the areas where we still have the potential to see more severe storms later today.

So, you've got that area of Central Texas. You also have this area farther to the north and east. And that's where the greater threat exists. This is where we could end up seeing some damaging winds, some small hail, and yes, even an isolated tornado.

The bulk of the threat will ramp back up this afternoon. Once the sun comes back out, you start heating things back up. So, you're going to start to notice at 2:00, 3:00, 4:00 this afternoon, that line continues to slide in across many of these areas. And overnight tonight, much cooler air in place. So, yes, you could even start to see a little bit of a mix take place in some of those northeastern states.

BLACKWELL: A mix of?

CHINCHAR: Snow and rain together.

BLACKWELL: My goodness.

CHINCHAR: Yes.

BLACKWELL: All right. Allison Chinchar in April. Thank you.

CHINCHAR: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Singer D4vd -- he'll stay in police custody this weekend after his arrest in connection with the killing of a teenager in California. Coming up, when prosecutors are expected to lay out the charges against him.

And Ford is recalling more than a million F-150 pickup trucks. Regulators say that they can unexpectedly switch gears. Coming up, which years are covered in that recall?

And right now, wildlife experts are working to save a stranded whale off the Coast of Germany. How they hope to get the whale back out to sea?

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[07:16:16]

BLACKWELL: Attorneys for Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk -- they're asking a judge to ban cameras in the courtroom. They argue that live broadcasts could jeopardize Robinson's right to a fair trial. CNN's Nick Watt has more from Utah, where Robinson appeared in court on Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mischief lurks in the dark. That is what one of the county prosecutors told the judge today in making his case to keep cameras in the courtroom for the proceedings against Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk here in Utah last September. That prosecutor went on to say, you know, there are conspiracies swirling around this case. The best thing we can do is keep it open and transparent, because that will retain public trust in this process. That is the best antidote to falsehoods.

Now, Tyler Robinson's defense -- they do not want cameras in here. They said multiple times that that would infringe upon his Constitutional right to a fair trial. They do not want cameras.

They talk a lot about the conspiracy theories that they say are fueled by having TV images -- TV cameras in that courtroom. The judge is not going to rule on that yet. He's going to consider. He said he'll come back May 8 and rule on whether cameras can be in the court for the preliminary hearing for the trial.

Now, the preliminary hearing in this one, you know, we'll hear some evidence when we might get a -- should get a plea from Tyler Robinson, that is scheduled for May 18. Robinson's defense has said they need more time, particularly to analyze large data files relating to the DNA evidence against Tyler Robinson.

One of his attorneys said that they want four months. Again, no ruling on that today. We're going to hear May 8, whether TV cameras will be in the court and whether that preliminary hearing is actually going to take place later in May as scheduled. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Alec Baldwin is now facing a civil trial over the deadly shooting on the set of the movie Rust. The suit was filed by a crew member who was on set when cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed. Says -- he says that he suffered emotional distress because of negligence by Baldwin and the film's production team. You'll remember in 2021, Baldwin fired a prop gun with a live round loaded.

Ford is recalling the 1.4 million F-150 pickup trucks over a transmission issue. Federal safety officials say that the recall includes certain 2015 through 2017 trucks. The affected vehicles can suddenly downshift. And owners should get a recall letter by the end of the month. And dealers will fix the problem for free.

A federal judge in California has blocked Nexstar Media from taking over TEGNA. Now, the judge said that the deal is likely to violate federal antitrust law and granted a preliminary injunction. Nexstar says the deal would strengthen local stations and plans to appeal. The judge's ruling stops the merger until a trial can be held.

Meanwhile, California Attorney General Rob Bonta says that office is reviewing -- his office is reviewing Paramount's pending deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN.

The family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a 14-year-old girl killed last year, will speak publicly on Monday. It's their first statement since the arrest of singer D4vd. The family's attorney says they'll speak after his arraignment. David Burke was arrested Thursday, accused of killing Hernandez. CNN's Senior Correspondent Josh Campbell has more on what led to that arrest.

[07:20:04]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: A significant development in the ongoing investigation into the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Now, I'll warn our viewers that the details of her discovery are extremely disturbing. The Los Angeles police department says tactical officers from its robbery-homicide division, as well as the U.S. Marshals, on Thursday arrested the popular singer D4vd on suspicion of her murder.

The decomposed body of Rivas Hernandez was found last year in an abandoned Tesla that was towed from a location in the Hollywood Hills here in Los Angeles. That vehicle was registered to the singer. As the Associated Press reported, investigators searching the Tesla in a tow yard found a cadaver bag, unzipped it, and discovered a decomposed head as well as a torso.

Now, according to court documents, the LA County medical examiner determined that her arms and legs had been severed. A second black bag was found in the vehicle containing other dismembered parts. A cause of death has not yet been publicly announced.

Now, David's defense team is vehemently denying their client's involvement. They say in a statement, let us be clear, the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez, and he was not the cause of her death. There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case, and no criminal complaint filed. They say David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David's innocence.

As far as what happens next, he will remain in police custody for the time being without bail. Authorities say that they will present the case to the LA County District Attorney's office on Monday. Josh Campbell, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Josh, thanks for the reporting. All right. The big question this weekend: The Strait of Hormuz, is passage allowed? The breaking news out of Iran. We're learning that Iran has now fired on a tanker in the Strait. We're live with the update after a quick break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:21]

BLACKWELL: And we are following breaking news in the war with Iran. We've learned that Iranian gunboats have fired on a tanker traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. That's according to a U.K. Maritime Traffic Organization.

Let's go now to CNN's Nic Robertson with the latest on the breaking developments. Nic, what do you know?

ROBERTSON: Yes, this happened just in the last few minutes and comes within hours of Iran saying that it was going to shut down, essentially, the Strait of Hormuz again. Now, the tanker captain reported sighting two IRGC Iranian gunboats. They approached his tanker, did not communicate via the VHF radio, and then started shooting, opening gunfire to -- IRGC gunboats, opening gunfire on this tanker.

The tanker and crew -- the vessel itself are reported OK. No casualties there, as best we know at this time. But it does seem to indicate that Iran is doubling down.

This is not just rhetoric that they're putting in place in terms of their response to -- or how they view the U.S. response to their -- the Iranian opening of the Strait of Hormuz yesterday. They were very critical what -- officials were in Iran when President Trump, on Truth Social, said that he was not going to lift the U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. Indeed, he was going to keep it in position, it seemed, just to sort of make sure that Iran didn't abrogate or didn't try to get out of agreements that seem to exist.

And as part -- a pressure point, it seemed to get into talks that were expected early next week. It has to be said that the hardliners in Iran are expressing doubt and concern that those talks are expected here early next week may happen. This is more than just rhetoric coming from Iran. It does tend to show here military intent, is this just going to be an isolated incident?

Of course overnight, after the Iranians had announced that they were going to lift their blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, we saw oil prices come down. We saw the stock markets rebound. Of course, we're in the weekend right now, so don't think anyone expecting changes on that front.

But actually -- physically on the ground, all those sort of tankers and merchant vessels that were seen heading towards the Strait of Hormuz. And remarkably, a cruise liner was able to get out of the Strait of Hormuz that had been stuck in the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea there. Have been stuck there since the war began. That got out of the Strait of Hormuz.

This is likely now to put a big chill on any vessel, risking any attempt to go through the Strait of Hormuz. So, it's unclear if Iran is intending to send that chill or if it's intending to escalate further.

BLACKWELL: Nic Robertson for us there in Islamabad. Nic, thank you. And this latest escalation could mean big issues for oil and gas prices. So, let's discuss now with Yahoo Finance Correspondent Ben Werschkul.

Ben, good morning to you. Obviously, the impact -- the consequence of these Iranian gunboats firing on a tanker go beyond that exchange -- it's the chilling, as Nic said, of any willingness of any of the other companies to send their vessels through. Fit this piece of the puzzle into what has been clear as mud over the last 24 hours about the Strait of Hormuz.

BEN WERSCHKUL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, YAHOO FINANCE: Yes, I think chilling is the right -- is the right word here. And this is a chill that's been in evidence, even through all these ups and downs from the shipping industry, even with this announcement of an opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

[07:30:09]

This, this, these latest development in the last hour will clearly amplify that further. But the shipping industry has been very wary even as -- even as oil prices have come down, of increasing their shipping through. We have seen ships start to come through and then turn around. We have seen a few, as Nic (PH) mentioned, a cruise ship getting through, but that is kind of more of the exception, rather than the rule at this moment.

Prior to the war, it was over 130 ships that would pass through the Strait of Hormuz on a given day. Now, it's -- we are hoping for sort of 20 on a given day, and we're not even there yet.

So, what we're, what I'm hearing a lot from the shipping industry, is that this is going to be a long road back, even in a best-case scenario here, of a strait of -- of a strait of Hormuz, some sort of level of reopening.

Obviously, the last couple hours have made that even more difficult. But this is going to be a long road back with hundreds and hundreds of ships still stuck on either side of the strait.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Those vessels, and we can put the map back up, they are not moving on rhetoric, right?

They need some proof. They need some security.

The oil prices yesterday certainly moved on rhetoric. Brent crude down nine percent. Around $90 or so a barrel.

I wonder, is the expectation that, after what we saw today, that, that the inverse is going to happen?

WERSCHKUL: Could be, yes. We will -- the oil prices, we won't know sort of how the oil prices move for a little bit, given it's the fact that it's the weekend, but the ships are simply not going to move until, until there is a lot more clarity on this.

Another aspect of this that's important is that even this, this opening of the Strait of Hormuz from the Iranian side, has been couched as towards the end of the ceasefire. That ceasefire is set to end on Wednesday, and even President Trump has talked in the last -- in the last day, about, about, about resuming bombing after that. So, these shippers need a lot more -- a lot more certainty here about whether they can pass through, whether they can get the insurance to get through, and kind of increase the oil flows that were -- that were to pre-war levels.

We're a long, long ways from that. And even if, even if we see a lot of good developments in the last week, it's going to be weeks and weeks after that before we kind of see markets fully stabilized on this.

BLACKWELL: All right. Ben, let's talk gas prices. The president was in Nevada, talking up the economy. By the way, P4.99 a gallon in Clark County.

Nationally, the average this morning according to AAA, is 406.

Here is the president talking about the economy. His narrative on gas and the economy at large?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, they are not very high. If you look at what they were supposed to be in order to get rid of a nuclear weapon, with the danger that entails.

In the report released last week, core inflation was down to the lowest level in five years, and very shortly, we are going to be probably eight or nine years. Don't forget, we are having some fake inflation because of the fuel, the energy prices.

We had the best economy in the history of our country in my first term. And we are blowing it out now. We are blowing it away now. And despite our little diversion, despite our little diversion to the lovely country of Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Yes, and the president also saying that, you know, prices on gas are going to come falling down. The initial narrative from the White House was short-term pain for long-term gain. And now, it sounds like it shifted to what pain?

WERSCHKUL: Yes, yes. And exactly. And I think that this, this price coming -- the price coming down of gas is going to be a long-term process here. There is economics terms called rockets and feathers, where prices at the pump shoot up like a rocket. I think everyone who's had to fill up their car in the last months has seen that, that aside, but then, it comes down much more slowly, like a feather coming down.

That -- that's been a problem for presidents for years, and Biden felt it almost exactly four years ago, with the -- with the invasion of Ukraine, with high prices there.

And I think we're going to be talking about that a lot all the way through the summer. There is new projections from GasBuddy that talk about, you know, the prices now are over $4 a gallon, but even early estimates there are the best-case scenario. And I think the developments this morning cast further doubt on that. Only 350 gallon -- $350 a gallon gas by the end of the summer. That's months and months away. $380 as the summer begins.

So, this is going to be the projections are a very slow process down for gas prices, if we are looking at the history here. And one that I think will be frustrating for the White House, hoping for this rapid fall and I think, frustrating for folks who are -- who are planning our summer travel as well.

BLACKWELL: All right. Ben Werschkul, thanks so much.

Millions of dollars yanked from a Miami charity housing needy kids. Was it caught in the middle of President Trump's very public beef with the Pope?

And if you are heading out, remember, you can stream our show from anywhere in the U.S., right from the CNN app.

[07:35:04]

You can also go to cnn.com/watch.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Iran has now restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. But this week, after the commercial traffic was cleared through the Strait.

And the U.S. once again lifted sanctions on some Russian oil that applies only to Russian crude and petroleum products already at sea and last through May 16th.

[07:40:04]

Brent crude fell more than nine percent yesterday, settled at a little more than $90 a barrel.

Pope Leo is expected to arrive at Angola soon at the next stop on his marathon tour of the African continent. Angola is home to one of the largest Catholic communities in Africa.

The pope will visit the heart of the country's controversial diamond industry, where concerns are rising about the industry's effect on the environment and its treatment of minors.

And the Trump administration has canceled an $11 million federal contract with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese in Miami. Now, the Archdiocese says the contract cancelation is not related to recent exchanges between Pope Leo and President Trump, but the funding paid for a network of services that help to shelter and care for unaccompanied migrant children.

It comes as President Trump ramps up his criticism of the first American pope, Leo, who has opposed the U.S. war with Iran. Archbishop Thomas Wenski joins us now from Miami. Thank you so much for being with me.

I want to first understand what the loss of funding means for the ability to serve the children who need this help. Is it zeroed out, and then you have to close these programs, or is there any way to compensate?

THOMAS WENSKI, ARCHBISHOP, ARCHDIOCESE OF MIAMI: No, it's zeroed out. We are going to have to shut down. And this is a program that has existed since the early 1960s when it began with the Pedro Pan -- Operation Pedro Pan, which was an effort to bring about 14,000 children from Cuba, whose parents sent them to the United States unaccompanied because they feared communist indoctrination.

And since that time, Catholic charities and the archdiocese in Miami has conducted this program for unaccompanied minors. Over the years, it's served thousands of minors, and right now we have a facility that can hold up to 81 children, and our program has been a stellar program. It's been basically the model that the Office of Refugee Resettlement, our partner, has held up to other similar programs throughout the country.

So, this is a legacy program, but also a signature program, and it's hard to understand why the U.S. government, why HHS, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement would shut it down, especially considering where Miami is, close to Cuba, Haiti, and the unsettled realities there.

So, you know, even though the number of unaccompanied minors is admittedly down --

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: Yes.

WENSKI: It would be hard for us to reinvent this or restart this when they need and when and if a need presents itself in the future.

BLACKWELL: Well, let's talk about those numbers. The president highlights that apprehensions at the southern border specifically, and I know that that is not encompass all of the people that you might care for, especially in Florida. But they have been -- they are down versus where they have been in other years.

Homeland Security says there were 8,268 encounters in March. But with numbers so low, and again, that's on the southern border. You are in Florida. But some might ask why the program --

WENSKI: Well, many of our --

BLACKWELL: Why the program and federal support are still necessary?

WENSKI: Well, many of our children have come from the southern border in the past. And I think there is a bit of a retribution here, because before the election, politicians on the right in Florida and also in Texas were accusing Catholic charities of somehow colluding with the cartels and smuggling children into the United States.

And this was a complete falsehood, because the -- when children are apprehended by ICE or border patrol, they are turned over to HHS, Health and Human Services. And within HHS is the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which has the responsibility of caring for minor children. And part of their -- of their marching orders is to seek the best interest of the child.

And over 60 years, we have been able to contract and cooperate with ORR to do just that, to provide for the best interest of those children.

BLACKWELL: And so, what happens to the children now that the program has to shut down?

WENSKI: Well, they will be reassigned to other shelters, in other places, either in Florida or around the United States. Again, what I would say is what we were running was the model for these other programs and, you know, even though the numbers are down, we have a capacity of 80 or 81 children. So. that the monitors are down from thousands to hundreds.

[07:45:03]

There is still a need to shelter children that come in unaccompanied, and it's also a need to be ready to do that.

In the past, you know, over the years, the numbers of these children have fluctuated like an accordion. Sometimes they grow, sometimes they shrink.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

WENSKI: And the times when they were sinking -- when the times are shrinking, ORR, Office of Refugee Resettlement asked us to keep our program there, even with empty beds, because they needed it to be ready at a moment's notice.

And so, that's, you know, again, baffling why they would shut down one of their premier collaborators in this very difficult and sensitive area of giving care to children that have been traumatized because of their trek across dangerous borders and coming to the United States without the support of parents and families.

BLACKWELL: Archbishop Thomas Wenski, thank you so much for your time this morning.

Still ahead, it's a big weekend for basketball fans, the start of the NBA Playoffs. Andy has the round one rundown coming up in sports.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:50:42]

BLACKWELL: In this week's episode of "SEARCHING FOR FRANCE", Eva Longoria explores the lavender fields of Provence and the world-famous wineries of Bordeaux.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVA LONGORIA, HOST, EVA LONGORIA SEARCHING FOR FRANCE: So, what are we making?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I got to make a sandwich I make for my children with caviar.

LONGORIA: I wish I had a caviar sandwich when I was young.

LONGORIA (voice over): And it's heavy on the butter. This is France, after all.

LONGORIA: All right, like this? Give a how much?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you just more,

LONGORIA: (INAUDIBLE)?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

LONGORIA: Oh, my God. (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

LONGORIA: No way. More?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

LONGORIA: Oh, my God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: La.

LONGORIA: La.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we put caviar, we have to put caviar.

LONGORIA: Yes. OK. This is probably the most expensive sandwich I'm ever going to eat in my life.

LONGORIA (voice over): We are talking $100-worth of caviar here.

LONGORIA: Sante.

It's not a crazy, buttery taste. Together, they really complement each other.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exceed very well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, do you want to make the main dish though?

LONGORIA: Yes, I would love.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BLACKWELL: The CNN original series, "EVA LONGORIA SEARCHING FOR FRANCE", premieres Sunday at 9:00 p.m. on CNN and the next day on the CNN app.

Sports now.

The playoffs are now set. The Suns and Magic grab the final two spots in last night's play in games. Andy Scholes is here now.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Victor. Unfortunately, we're not going to get Steph Curry in the playoffs this year, so, that's always a shame. But the Suns, they ended The Warriors bid to get the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference last night, after that fantastic performance to beat the Clippers in the nine-10 game, quiet night for Steph in this when he scored just 17 points, made just four of his 16 shots.

It was not a quiet game, though, for suns guard Jalen Green. He caught fire in the third quarter. Green made eight threes in this game. He finished with a game high 36 points.

Now, near the end, Devin Booker and Draymond Green, they were jawing at each other, and Scott Foster ends up ejecting both of them. Draymond does his foster imitation and then motions to the crowd as he was leaving the court.

So, the Suns they now move on to face the Thunder in round one. Season is over for the Warriors, and head coach Steve Kerr said after the game, after four titles in 12 years, his time with the Warriors may have come to an end.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE KERR, HEAD COACH, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: I don't know what's going to happen. I still love coaching, but I get it. These jobs all have an expiration date. There is a run that happens, and when the run ends, sometimes it's time for new blood and new ideas and all that. And if that's the case, then, I will be just nothing but grateful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: That could be the end of an era for the Warriors.

In the east, meanwhile, the Magic just blowing out the Hornets last night. Orlando just wanted this, or more from the tip. They were up 22 after the first quarter, and never looked back when he won 21 to 90. Magic now going to face the Pistons in round one.

The playoffs start later today with the Cavs hosting the Raptors. Then, you have the Timberwolves at the Nuggets, and what should be an awesome series. The Knicks are going to host the Hawks at Madison Square Garden. In the nightcap, LeBron and the Lakers take on the Rockets.

No Luca Doncic or Austin Reaves for L.A. tonight. And Kevin Durant now questionable for the rockets in that one with a knee injury. All right. Finally, check this out. This was the scene at Coors Field three hours before the Rockies were set to face the Dodgers. Three inches of snow falling in Denver, so they got to postpone the game. Right? Wrong. The grounds coupe cleared all of that snow from the field, and this is how it looked by game time.

Look at that.

BLACKWELL: What?

SCHOLES: No snow on the ground. What a job. Still very cold, though, 36 degrees, first pitch, coldest game in Dodgers history, apparently, Victor. The chilly weather, though, didn't slow him down. L.A. won 7- 1, their 11th win in the past 14 games.

That impressive to that field, look after all that snow.

BLACKWELL: I mean, it takes me two or three times with a break to get a driveway done, and it looks like that?

SCHOLES: It was -- it was incredible.

BLACKWELL: That's fantastic.

SCHOLES: It was 90 degrees here in Atlanta yesterday for my son's baseball game.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

SCHOLES: And I'm looking at that, like, what a difference.

BLACKWELL: All right. Looking good. Andy Scholes, thank you.

SCHOLES: All right.

BLACKWELL: "FIRST OF ALL" is coming up at the top of the hour. And this morning, I'm asking, will the Iranian Americans detained in Iran, be part of any peace deal.

[07:55:03]

Well, the families and advocates hope so.

And I'll speak to the attorney trying to help an Iranian American journalist get out of an Iranian prison.

Plus, you will hear from the mother of a teenager shot and killed by police in St Louis, nearly two years ago. Only now, this week, are we seeing the body camera video of what happened, and it contradicts directly, the original police narrative.

You will see it, and you will get the reaction from Amician Wilkins' mom and her attorney.

And later, the story of John Lewis, the young John Lewis, to be exact, told through a musical. We'll speak to the show's director and the lead actor about its message.

Those stories and conversations you will not see anywhere else coming up after a short break on "FIRST OF ALL".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END