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CNN This Morning
Iranian President Doubles Down On Iran's Nuclear Rights; Ceasefire Deadline Looms As Iran Closes Strait Of Hormuz; IDF: 2 Israeli Soldiers Killed In Southern Lebanon In 2 Days; Six Dead After Mass Shooting & Hostage Attack In Kyiv; Advocates Sound Alarm Over ICE Arrests At Courthouses; Iran Closes Strait Of Hormuz Again; Pope Says "Debate" With Trump Is Not The Focus Of His Africa Trip. Pope Says "Debate" with Trump is Not the Focus of his Africa Trip; New Zealand Airlines Adds Bunk Beds for Economy Travelers; RFJ Jr. Returns to Capitol Hill for Hearings; Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz Again. Aired 7-8a ET
Aired April 19, 2026 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:01:00]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Welcome back to CNN This Morning. Here's what you need to know today.
Time running out on the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. President Trump says there's progress. That's not what we're hearing from Iran. We'll update you on where things stand.
Officials in Ukraine are investigating a mass shooting there as a terror attack. Witnesses say the shooter started firing at random people on a sidewalk. We have questions surrounding the attack and what we know about the shooter.
Plus, a shift in the growing legal fight over immigration enforcement at courthouses. Attorneys say as arrests rise, fewer people than ever are being granted bond.
And Pope Leo continues his tour of Africa this morning. And for the first time, the Pope is directly addressing President Trump's attacks.
You see it Sunday, April 19th, a brand new week. Thanks for joining me. I'm Victor Blackwell.
We're just getting this in. Iran's president says that President Trump cannot deprive Iran of its right to a nuclear program. That's according to the Iranian Student News Agency. Now, the Strait of Hormuz is closed again as this tug of war over control is now taking another turn.
Two vessels were attacked as Iran reimposed its control over this waterway. Iranian gunboats fired on a tanker yesterday. The U.K. Maritime Traffic Organization says another vessel was struck by a projectile.
This happened as the U.S. Navy has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports. President Trump addressed the fight over control over the strait.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They got a little cute, as they have been doing for 47 years. They wanted to close up the strait again, you know, as they've been doing for years. And they can't blackmail us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Trump said negotiations are going very well, but Iran's lead negotiator said yesterday the two countries are far apart from reaching a final deal.
CNN's Leila Gharagozlou is following all of these developments for us. Let's talk more about, first, these new comments from Iran's president and then where negotiations stand.
LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN PRODUCER: Yes, so Masoud Pezeshkian has said that Iran's nuclear program is its right. This is a very common sentiment in Iran amongst politicians and quite a lot of Iran's government supporters, that Iran has a right to a nuclear program. It is their sovereign right.
This program has been around since the 50s. It's part of the national identity. So Iranians are very reticent to let go of this program. And it has become quite a big sticking point in the nuclear negotiations alongside Iran's missile program, its territorial control over the Strait of Hormuz, and its regional role.
Now, obviously, the ceasefire is about to come to an end over the next couple of days, and President Trump has not been very inclined to extend the ceasefire, which means getting some sort of agreement is going to be really critical to keep this war from escalating once again.
Iranian sources have told CNN that there will be talks in Islamabad on Monday. Americans have yet to confirm these talks happening. But, obviously, these talks are going to be really important to getting some sort of clarity on Iran's control of the Strait, whether it is open or closed, and its nuclear program.
Now, again, these are red lines for Iran. They have been very clear that they will not budge on their nuclear program. Very specifically, there's been quite a lot of talk of what happens to their uranium enrichment capabilities, and this also they view as their sovereign right.
That being said, Masoud Pezeshkian is not a very strong president. He has been sidelined since the war began. So it's much more important to look at what Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is saying, the Speaker of Parliament and the lead negotiator. And given the fact that he has now said that they're not really close to a deal quite yet or some sort of agreement, it is indicating that they're still quite far apart.
[07:05:07]
And while President Trump might be optimistic, the Iranians are approaching this in a much more cautious manner.
BLACKWELL: Leila Gharagozlou, reporting from London, thank you so much.
Let's talk about another facet of this fight now, and this is the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Israeli military says two of its soldiers have been killed over the past two days. They say it happened in southern Lebanon, as the two sides are under a 10- day ceasefire. Now, the ceasefire is between Israel and Lebanon, not Israel and Hezbollah.
We turn now to CNN's Jerusalem Bureau Chief Oren Liebermann. Oren, what do you know?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Victor, time running out on this 10-day ceasefire, as well as President Donald Trump tries to advance a longer-term ceasefire and ultimately a complete peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon. The ceasefire itself has certainly been tested.
Two Israeli soldiers killed, according to the Israeli military, one on Friday, one on Saturday, several more injured. It's possible that these were IEDs, improvised explosive devices, placed by Hezbollah before the ceasefire went into effect. We're waiting for an update on that.
Meanwhile, Israel has carried out several strikes, according to what it says are Hezbollah militants violating the ceasefire and trying to come south using both aerial strikes and artillery. Nevertheless, the ceasefire holds. This, as the Israeli military holds some 10 kilometers of territory it has seized since the start of the conflict six weeks ago.
This, they say, they will hold, at least it seems right now, indefinitely. It's unclear if that's months or potentially even years, viewing it as a security and buffer zone for the residents of northern Israel. But what happens between Israel and Lebanon is crucial because it affects what happens or what can happen between the U.S. and Iran and vice versa.
That's one of the reasons Trump requested that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agree to the ceasefire. Netanyahu acknowledged that. Trump himself is trying to arrange a meeting between Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, but it's unclear if it's possible even for that to happen. Aoun had declined a call with Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, in the background to all of this, there are more than 1.2 million Lebanese residents and civilians who are displaced. They are trying to get back home, even as the IDF says it will not allow people to return to southern Lebanon. So that humanitarian question remains looming over all of this as Trump tries to move forward some sort of diplomatic process. But that, because of everything we have seen on the ground, will be incredibly difficult, especially in light of the challenges with the U.S. and Iran.
BLACKWELL: Oren Lieberman reporting for us from Jerusalem. Thanks so much.
Headlines for you now this morning, and we take you to Ukraine where officials are investigating a mass shooting as a terrorist attack. Six people were killed in the attack. Officials say this shooter opened fire on a street Saturday, killed four people. Then another later died in the hospital. And then he ran into the supermarket where he killed another person and took hostages.
Police eventually killed the attacker and rescued those hostages. Officials say the shooter was born in Moscow, but it's unclear whether he was a Ukrainian or Russian citizen.
More than 1,000 animal welfare activists tried to storm an animal research center in Wisconsin yesterday. It was their second attempt in as many months to take beagles housed at that facility. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to force them away. Several people were taken into custody. The facility's managers denied that they mistreat those animals.
President Trump has signed an executive order aimed at expanding research into the use of psychedelic drugs to treat mental health conditions. The order directs $50 million in federal funds to make the drugs more available for conditions like depression and anxiety. It also directs the FDA to fast track reviews of certain psychedelics. The administration says the goal is to speed up new treatment options.
A growing legal fight over immigration enforcement is happening. The number of immigration hearings are on the rise, but fewer immigrants are being granted bond. We'll get into that.
Also, the first American pope says he's not feuding with the American president. How Pope Leo is responding to criticism from President Trump.
Plus, a battle of man versus robot. Robots won. The half marathon record just set in Beijing.
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[07:14:15]
BLACKWELL: Advocates say migrants appearing for immigration hearings are now more likely to be arrested or detained and that few are being granted bond. The Justice Department recently admitted that it has been incorrectly relying on an ICE memo to justify those courthouse arrests.
Here's CNN Rafael Romo with more.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've all seen the viral videos showing ICE agents arresting people in and around immigration courthouses. But immigration advocates say they are even more concerned about what's happening inside the courtroom.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have a warrant for his arrest?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, grab him.
ROMO (voice-over): ICE in courthouses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back up.
ROMO (voice-over): Under the Trump administration, federal immigration agents have gone to places they generally have avoided in the past, conducting chaotic arrests, also impacting American citizens during a nationwide immigration crackdown.
[07:15:07]
URVAL PATEL, VOLUNTEER, DETENTION RESISTANCE: They are showing up to their court dates. They're getting future court dates because they're meeting the requirements set by the law in this country.
ROMO (voice-over): The practice of arresting people at immigration courts is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit brought against the Trump administration by civil rights groups last year. And according to that ongoing lawsuit, the Justice Department recently admitted to a federal judge, it's been incorrectly relying on an an immigration and customs enforcement memo to justify arrests at immigration courts.
CNN has reached out to DHS for comment. But immigration advocates say what these viral videos don't show is a tectonic shift in the asylum policy.
LAUREN WAITS, COURT WATCH VOLUNTEER, GEORGIA ASYLUM & IMMIGRATION NETWORK: The major difference is that nobody's getting bond anymore.
ROMO (voice-over): Several times a week, Lauren Waits sits in her kitchen and watches immigration court proceedings through a virtual feed.
WAITS: The dramatic change has been for people where there's no criminal history whatsoever. Those folks prior to this administration had access to bond. Now, the way I see it, we're all paying with our tax dollars to keep them in these detention facilities for no good purpose.
ADRIANA HEFFLEY, LEGAL SERVICES DIRECTOR, GEORGIA ASYLUM & IMMIGRATION NETWORK: What changed is that in around July of 2025, ICE began to take the very new position that the majority of immigrants in immigrant detention are not eligible to even ask a judge for bond.
ROMO (voice-over): Immigration attorney Adriana Heffley, the director of legal services at the Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network, leads the Court Watch program, a network of over 100 volunteers who document immigration court hearings.
ROMO: Observers with GAINES (ph) Court Watch program say in the past, it was very likely for people living in the country with no legal documents to get bond if they didn't have a criminal record. But there has been a noticeable change during the current administration.
HEFFLEY: It's a drastically different interpretation of existing law that has been commonly understood by, you know, everyone practicing in immigration law for decades.
ROMO (voice-over): An Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo from July posted online by the Immigration Policy Tracking Project says in part that. "Effective immediately, it is the position of DHS that such aliens are subject to detention and may not be released from ICE custody except by parole.
Immigration court observers also say that starting in early March, they have noticed they are being blocked from accessing immigration courtroom hearings, which are supposed to be public. Observers say they are being asked if they are attorneys or relatives of the immigrant whose case is being heard and blocked when they identify themselves as observers, a potential violation of due process.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMO: We reached out to the Department of Homeland Security with questions about this new interpretation of the law and were referred to the Department of Justice. We are still waiting for a reply.
Rafael Romo, CNN Atlanta.
BLACKWELL: All right, Raf. Thank you so much.
Still ahead, Carnival Cruise Lines has to pay up big money to a woman who sued because she said, yes, she had the drink package, but they served her too much alcohol. We'll get into this case in this morning's roundup.
Allison?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And the southeast is finally getting some much needed rain. But how long is this actually going to last? We'll take a look coming up.
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[07:22:55]
BLACKWELL: This morning traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has come to a standstill again. Iran closed the waterway just 24 hours after claiming it was open because of what they say with these breaches of trust by the U.S. peace -- peace talks, I should say. They're supposed to start this week. But with so many sticking points, both the U.S. and Iran have a long way to go before reaching an agreement. Joining me now to discuss Atlanta news anchor from Atlanta News First Rick Folbaum, Retired Judge and Trial Attorney Ashley Willcott and political analyst and author of "Blow the Stack" newsletter. Charles Blow.
Welcome to you all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: Let's start with the Strait of Hormuz. And on Friday, the president was celebrating, saying that it's completely open. He posted on Truth Social this clip from 2016. Let's watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're going to win so much. You may even get tired of winning and you'll say, please, please. It's too much winning. We can't take it anymore.
Mr. President, it's too much. And I'll say, no, it isn't. We have to keep winning. We have to win more. We're going to win more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: And you see there anyone sick of winning yet. Today, the Strait is shut down again. The positions, everyone is receded back to where they were. Rick, is what the president doing here working?
RICK FOLBAUM, ANCHOR, ATLANTA NEWS FIRST: Well, it doesn't seem to be working yet. And Iran certainly seems to have the upper hand when it comes to the strait. It seems like they're going to be able to control this as long as they want to, until they're able to find a deal with terms that they can abide by.
But the Trump administration, look, I give them a lot of credit. They're in there. They're talking. They've extended the deadline. They've got another deadline coming up.
They're trying to work out a deal here. It would be nice if there were some other countries who would get on board and help out with these negotiations. But right now, Iran certainly seems to at least have the upper hand, at least in terms of controlling traffic in and out of that port.
ASHLEY WILLCOTT, JUVENILE COURT JUDGE (RETIRED): And it's not surprising that President Trump is going to say it's open, everything's good, because he tends to talk in extremes. And so he came out maybe prematurely.
[07:25:07]
BLACKWELL: And maybe not just extremes, but just what is not objectively true. I mean, the president said on Friday that the Iranians, quote, "agreed to everything." That's what he told CBS News, including handing over the nuclear material. The Iranian says, we're not doing that. He said that they would stop their enrichment of uranium. The Iranian said, we're never going to be outside of international law.
CHARLES BLOW, POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. Yes, I don't call it talking extremes, I call it lying. And I think it really hurts the public's impression of him and their ability to trust where we are in the negotiation and where we are in the war.
Now, the president has several audiences. You know, when he's doing that bluster, he's in part talking to the markets. He wants the markets to do better. He wants the economy to do better. He wants people not to feel that pain so that it politically is better for him.
But it doesn't work on the long term. If you're saying this, the markets respond to it. But then the next day, it's all back to where it was.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
BLOW: So it ends up being a net negative in terms of public perception and politics, because we can't trust that U.S., you know, what you're saying is the truth.
BLACKWELL: Yes. Speaking of public perception, we're now starting week eight of this war. And the White House started by saying it is short term pain for long term gain. Yes, gas prices are going up, but it's because it's worth it to make sure there's not a nuclear Iran.
There's been a shift in what we've heard from the president. Let's listen to some of what he said about the cost of gas now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, they're 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.
Don't forget, we're having some fake inflation because of the fuel, the energy prices.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Gas prices are not high, he says, and the inflation is fake. It's hard. I mean, support the war effort or do not. But it's hard to tell people who are paying more than a dollar increase over the last eight weeks that this inflation ain't real.
WILLCOTT: And I just think it's insulting to say it's fake, right? I think that insults every American that hears that from the president's family.
FOLBAUM: Well, the president said that of the affordability issue was fake as well. So we've heard this kind of language before. People don't like to be told that they're happy when they're not happy. And polls show that people are upset about the price of gas. They're upset about this war. And we've got midterms coming up. So I think the voters will have the last say here.
BLACKWELL: Which is interesting because it was the same criticism of the Biden administration that they were telling people that things are much better than you feel. When people were looking at their own bottom lines and say, I hear your rhetoric, I'm looking at my pocket.
WILLCOTT: And I don't feel good about it.
BLACKWELL: Right, right. Another thing that many people did not feel good about, many in the president's own base, where his fight with Pope Leo over the last week or so, in addition to the memes with the depiction of Jesus and in addition to -- we saw his depicting himself as the pope earlier this year or last year, I should say.
The pope now has responded. This is on his tour of Africa. Let's listen to what he said about the interpretation of his speech about tyrants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE LEO XIV, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: Just one little example. The talk that I gave at the prayer meeting for peace a couple of days ago was prepared two weeks ago, well before the president ever commented on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting. And yet, as it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate, again, the president, which is not my interest at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Charles, what do you see here?
BLOW: This is a losing battle for the White House. The pope is both a religious figure and a world political figure. It's not a right read to say he's not political at all. He understands that he's a political figure and wills that in the interest of the faith.
But there's no -- he doesn't lose anything by being consistent with both his moral position and his political position by opposing war, regardless of where the war is and who's involved in it. The Trump administration does lose in this. There's no upside to debating the pope about something that the pope and the papacy and the faith has been consistent with for eons. You know, the idea of like trying to find peace.
So the battle never made sense to me. What do you get from this? You strong arm another world leader. Well, this is not just a world leader. This is a different kind of world leader.
BLACKWELL: Yes. And considering the backlash that he saw for that meme that he posted depicting him as Jesus, there is this nugget I'm going to add. I'm kind of you on this, Judge. On April 21st, President Trump is scheduled to read scripture via video message from the Oval Office during the 6:00 p.m. Eastern hour from the organizers of an event called America Reads the Bible. And he'll be reading a section of Second Chronicles in which he will include verse 14, if my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven or will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will hear their land. He's going to be surrounded by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the White House Chief of Staff. I'm watching your face. What do you think?
ASHLEY WILLCOTT, JUVENILE COURT JUDGE (RETIRED): Oh, you told us about this when we sat down. I was in disbelief, separation of church and state, a very basic premise that has always been true, remains true. I don't understand why he has to go down this road, and I don't think it's appropriate for the president to do it.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
CHARLES BLOW, POLITICAL ANALYST AND AUTHOR OF "BLOW THE STACK" NEWSLETTER: Would he call this Two Chronicles?
BLACKWELL: Oh, yes, as he said, Two Corinthians during the 2016 campaign. One more thing here is it's not just any section of the Bible. It's not just any verse. The Christian Post reports that after Trump won in 2016, Billy Graham's daughter said his election, after he won there, his election was an indication that God was answering the prayer of his people just like in Second Chronicles 714. So --
BLOW: Listen, there's a real issue here in terms of the rise of Christian nationalism in America, and Christian nationalism is different from Christianity. People get them confused. People think that it means that patriotic Christians, that is not what Christian nationalism is.
Christian nationalism is a political agenda that kind of hides itself within Christian philosophy, within Christian imagery and the whole thing. And a lot of what we see about this kind of using -- this is what the Pope was responding to, using Christianity for your political aims and kind of divorcing it from what the scripture actually means and intends is really what Christian nationalism is, and I think that we're seeing more and more of that coming from this White House and this administration.
BLACKWELL: All right. everybody stay with us. We've got more to talk about coming up, including the way we fly. It's about to be reimagined, at least by one airline. Still ahead, the airline that's offering what they're calling sky nests to economy passengers.
And as always, if you're heading out, stream the show right from the CNN app right in the U.S., and you can also go to cnn.com/watch.
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[07:35:00]
BLACKWELL: Welcome back to the Morning Roundup. Back with me now, Rick Folbaum, Judge Ashley Willcott and Charles Blow.
All right. Let's talk about TMZ DC. Now, one week old, as they say, exploring the intersection of politics and pop culture. Rick, let me start with you as the other news anchor on -- at the table, do we want our politicians covered like celebrities, like, D.C. is Hollywood?
RICK FOLBAUM, ANCHOR, ATLANTA NEWS FIRST: Sure. I mean, aren't we already doing that a little bit? I mean, Manu Raju is out there with mics in different phases all the time. So, I think that that happens to a degree. But of course, I mean, politics has sort of become entertainment to a lot of people. It's watched as blood sport. I mean, depending on what side you come from.
So, I don't really know that this is going to shift. I don't think it's going to shake up the Washington media establishment as much as anything else. I think the TMZ probably is going to fit in right with a lot of other news organizations that are already there.
WILLCOTT: And of course, TMZ is going to cover Trump. He leans into that by all the crazy things he says. I think it's the perfect spot for them.
BLACKWELL: One of the headlines this week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., mum on being the Bobbitt of roadkill, after this new book revealed that he cut off a raccoon's penis to study it later. So, apparently, there is enough there that fits right into the TMZ category.
BLOW: But there's also -- you know, TMZ has a different strategy, which will probably shock Washington a little bit. I mean, what you have in D.C. with the press corps is that people wander the hallways, and they're at the Capitol. TMZ is at the airport, right?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
BLOW: So, if you're getting off with someone you're not supposed to be getting off the plane with, that's where TMZ is. They're catching you in that kind of unguarded moment. You're not in your suit. You're not at the Capitol. And it's kind of a more guerrilla journalism than what they're used to in a much more staid Washington. So, that could be a little bit of an adjustment to have a kind of paparazzi kind of presence in the Capitol.
WILLCOTT: Although TMZ has said that they are going to put people, or have put people, who are very well respected and charismatic and personable and going to be at the Capitol. That's what they claim.
BLACKWELL: Yes. All right. Let's talk about this case involving Carnival Cruise Lines. A federal jury has awarded a woman $300,000 in damages in her lawsuit against the cruise line. She says she was served 15 tequila shots across four bars in just a few hours on a single day in 2024. She argued that the bartenders were negligent because they served her although she was visibly intoxicated.
She then fell, injured herself, bruises and emotional distress. I mean, she had the drink package. What do you think? Is Carnival Cruise Lines --
[07:40:00]
FOLBAUM: This jury decided that she was only 40 percent responsible for her binge drinking, which has me completely re-evaluating my four years in college and my level of responsibility. But seriously, I mean, the judge should weigh in on this because 40-60, I think that's kind of --
WILLCOTT: It's comparative negligence. This is what our legal system provides for and the jury has to determine which one has what percent. But listen, she's on a cruise ship. They know she's drunk. They can see her. It's not like she goes back home and they have no idea what she's doing. They see her. They see -- she's slurring, she's stumbling down and they're still serving her. So, I think the jury at the end of the day may have gotten it right.
BLOW: Well -- but there's one caveat here that was interesting to me, which is that she went to four different bars. You know, I have a little bit of sympathy, not complete, but a little bit of sympathy for the bartenders in this situation. Because if someone shows up, maybe you think that, oh, they've had a couple, but you can't gauge it because you don't see the 16 drinks. This is your first time serving them. They had a little something and you're trying to gauge, like, how drunk is this person, can I serve them or not?
It can't -- sometimes it may not be as clear. It can be, depending on how people manifest their intoxication. But it can sometimes not be as clear as we might think it is.
BLACKWELL: And Carnival says that in the presence of the bartenders, they didn't see any stumbling or slurring and she didn't fall near one of the bars. So --
FOLBAUM: Her package offered 15 drinks over a 24-hour period. So, somebody was checking off the number of drinks that she was drinking.
BLACKWELL: That's true. If she didn't have the package, they sure would have checked them off. They had to charge her for each one of them.
FOLBAUM: Absolutely.
BLACKWELL: All right. So, now let's talk about Air New Zealand. I love this idea. Bunk beds now in the economy cabin of their long-haul flights, which could be above 16 hours. Flyers can book four hours in what's called the Sky Nest Sleep Pods. The first live flat beds in economy. $291 for four hours. Good idea?
BLOW: Sold.
WILLCOTT: Yes. Sold. It's a great idea.
BLOW: I mean, a 16-hour flight.
WILLCOTT: You better enforce the rules that they say. No snacking, no cuddling. You know, some people --
BLOW: I'm not doing it. You all --
WILLCOTT: Right? I'm kind of with you, because you know what people are going to try. BLOW: I think I saw this in the "Fifth Element." And I didn't --
BLACKWELL: So, you're just booking business from the start.
BLOW: Listen, I'm saving my miles because I'm not doing it.
BLACKWELL: Well, you at least get a full-size pillow, crisp sheets, and a blanket all refreshed between each session. So, that's good at least. How much time do I have control room? One minute. Good. All right. Speaking of not much time, Lily Allen is now on tour, British singer, Washington Post reporter on her recent concert in Boston. She performed 51 minutes, got off the stage, went through the album straight through, $150 to $250 was the ticket price. What do you think about these short concerts?
BLOW: As they say at my Baptist church, be brief.
BLACKWELL: Be brief.
BLOW: Be brief.
BLACKWELL: Be brief.
BLOW: I love it.
BLACKWELL: I won't be before you love.
BLOW: I won't be before you love.
FOLBAUM: If you go to the bathroom, though, you could be waiting in line and miss half the show. I mean, you know, seriously.
WILLCOTT: And no opening act. So, it's literally one hour. A lot of people don't like it. Get in, get out. You listen. You're focused. You're not distracted. You're not waiting. It's a great concert, according to some.
BLACKWELL: Well, don't charge me the three-hour price, though.
BLOW: Exactly.
BLACKWELL: Right? If you're going to give me a 51-minute show, I want a 51-minute price. All right. Rick --
BLOW: And a 15-drink badge.
BLACKWELL: Rick, Judge, Charles, thank you all. All right. LeBron proving why he is one of the greatest. Voy has the action from the NBA playoffs coming up in sports and this week's episode of "Searching for France," Eva Longoria explores the lavender fields of Provence and the world-famous wineries of Bordeaux.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVA LONGORIA, HOST, "EVA LONGORIA: SEARCHING FOR FRANCE" (voice-over): While the stock bubbles, it's time for the main event, those famous fish of Marseille. There's one guy I'm most intrigued by. He apparently brings a beautiful flavor to the whole broth, but is also legendarily ugly. Ladies and gentlemen, the red waskass.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this is the big one. I think that there's no exists without it.
LONGORIA: He looks like a merman.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it is the ugly one.
LONGORIA: What do you mean this is the ugly one? He's so cute. I love him. I think he's handsome. Which one is the poisonous one?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This one.
LONGORIA: Why are we eating it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because it's so delicate.
LONGORIA: But are we going to die or am I going to go to the hospital?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. This fish hides itself in the sand.
LONGORIA: Oh, in the sand. And then you could step on it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.
LONGORIA: Oh, my gosh. So, that would have venom in it and this part as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
LONGORIA: Yes, let's get rid of those things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
The CNN original series, "Eva Longoria: Searching for France," the new episode tonight at 9:00 p.m. on CNN and tomorrow on the CNN app.
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BLACKWELL: Here's what to expect in the week ahead. Los Angeles prosecutors are expected to give an update on the case against David Burke tomorrow. He's 21 years old, a singer who's being held without bail in connection with the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. He was arrested on Thursday but has not formally been charged with a crime and he denies any wrongdoing.
HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. is expected to return to Capitol Hill for more hearings this week. Last week, Kennedy clashed with lawmakers in the House over his handling of federal health agencies and vaccine policies. New this morning, Iran's president says the country will not back down on having a nuclear program. That's according to the Iranian Student News Agency. Iranian sources say negotiations are expected to resume this week in Pakistan.
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On Wednesday, the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is expected to expire and Iran has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz again.
Parts of the Southeast saw some much-needed rain overnight but not enough to put a dent into extreme drought conditions. 98 percent of the region is now under some type of drought condition. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here with a look. How bad is it?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right, and we could have used a lot more rain than we ended up getting. And again, not complaining, we will take anything we can get across many of these states. You can see what's left of that cold front kind of sliding through here. The same one that brought severe storms yesterday. But really the only heavy rain spot is going to be down closer to the Gulf. States like Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas not really getting all that much and they need it.
You look at the drought monitor here. You can see a lot of this dark red color indicating extreme drought. That's level four out of five and we even have some areas that have reached that level five across Georgia, Florida and even portions of Arkansas. When you look to the forecast after today, there's not really much in the way of rain for a lot of those areas. Even Arkansas, which is expected to get something, let's say by the time we get to Friday, is still only looking at maybe an inch at most in the vast majority of places. So, really the forecast doesn't really bode very well.
Now, where we are seeing things dry out, and it's good news, is the Midwest. Take a look at this video. This is from earlier this week in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, portions of Illinois and even Michigan have all been dealing with flooding from all of the rain that has come through that region. You see all of these dots here, those dark green dots indicate the wettest April on record. We still have a week left to go in April for a lot of these spots, so they will actually appreciate drying out over the next few days.
BLACKWELL: All right. Allison, thank you. LeBron James did something last night he'd never done before in a playoff game. Coy Wire is here.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, father time keeps calling, but LeBron keeps sending them to voicemail. He just keeps making history. He's 41 years young now, and he dished out 13 assists, becoming the oldest player ever to hit double digit dimes in a single playoff game. He casually added 19 points, because why not?
Now, Kevin Durant was out with injury for the Rockets. The Lakers took advantage. We had a plot twist. Luke Kennard, hotter than a Hollywood premiere, dropping the game high 27 points out of nowhere. He was five for five from three-point land. L.A. making game one look like a Sunday stroll with a 107-98 game one win. And LeBron, grateful his family was right there to see it.
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LEBRON JAMES, 4-TIME NBA CHAMPION: I was on the floor with my son, like in a playoff game. That's probably the craziest thing that's ever happened to me in my career. It was just so cool to be out there with him and his brother and sister and his mom in the building and his grandma. You know, like that's just insane.
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WIRE: Now, if you like your playoff basketball a little spicy, Denver's bringing a full buffet. Jamal Murray, automatic 30 points and a perfect 16 for 16 from the line. Nikola Jokic, just seemingly every day triple-double for him, plus a bloody nose for dramatic effect. 42,000 this game, including that technical for Jaden McDaniels, pushing Joker in the back, but Nikola had the last laugh. 25-13 and 11. Denver wins 116-105. That's now 13 straight wins for them as they pick apart the Timberwolves in game one.
New York Knicks at home in the playoffs feels like Broadway and Jalen Brunson's playing the lead role against the Hawks in game one. Cool, calm, clutch with 28 points, but he had his second-half co-star Karl Anthony Towns, 19 of his 25 points after the half. Another co-star, Josh Hart, doing the dirty work, sweeping up 14 rebounds like a vacuum cleaner with sneakers on. Knicks take game one, 113-102, New York looking for their first championship in 53 years.
Now, the puck has dropped on the NHL playoffs as well and we have a battle of Pennsylvania in round one. First playoff clash between the Flyers and Penguins since 2018 did not disappoint. That's Philadelphia's Porter Martone, just 19 years old, in only the 10th NHL game of his career, scoring the eventual game winner in the third. He was playing in college hockey at Michigan State three weeks ago. From rookie to rock star in his first playoff game, Flyers take it 3-2 in Pittsburgh in game one.
Finally, the Stanley Cup playoffs, they started with fists flying from puck drop. Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk, Carolina captain Jordan Staal said, hello the old-fashioned way. Gloves off at the opening faceoff, and from there was a brick wall in the net for Carolina. Goalie Frederik Andersen with 22 saves. Highlight real robbery, a shutout masterpiece as the Hurricanes blank the Senators 2-0.
BLACKWELL: All right. Coy, I've got something kind of like sports. Human runners, not alone in the half marathon in China.
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Look at this. Humanoid robots ran that same course yesterday. This was a test of robot speed and stability. Lightning is a running robot made by Chinese phone maker Honor. Finished the half marathon in a little more than 50 minutes, beating the human world record by more than six minutes.
WIRE: That's scary, because I feel like it was last year we were on this couch talking about these robots, and they were falling all over the place, moving very slowly. These things, they don't have to train like the humans, they just download an update and look at them go.
BLACKWELL: Right. I mean, the good thing is, you know, when one of them falls, they don't get up easily, but made it through. I mean, six minutes, though.
CHINCHAR: But can you really compare it to a human record when --
BLACKWELL: No.
CHINCHAR: -- they're not humans?
BLACKWELL: No. There's no fatigue.
CHINCHAR: Yes.
WIRE: I don't like this. I don't like this one bit. It's kind of scary.
BLACKWELL: We don't like it.
WIRE: We don't like it.
BLACKWELL: We're on record. All right. Thanks so much for joining us on CNN This Morning Weekend. Inside Politics Sunday with Manu Raju is up next.
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